Suggestions (Films)

I'm looking for a worthwhile film about bipolar disorder. I'd prefer fiction, but it could be a documentary, too. I've seen quite a few of them, but I'm wondering if there are any good ones out there that I've missed. Any ideas?

Silver linings playbook

When it comes to documentaries, I think it's hard to beat the two-part one by Stephen Fry called "Stephen Fry - The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive". You can watch the whole thing for free online. Part 1 is at Stephen Fry: The secret Life of a Manic Depressive (part 1) - YouTube and Part 2 at Stephen Fry - The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive Part 2 - YouTube . I also watched one called "The Devil and Daniel Johnston". I did so in preparation for a sleep-deprivation EEG. Gotta say that it was making me fall asleep.

When it comes to fictional movies featuring a person with bipolar, I've found few are really that great. I know most people love the "Silver Linings Playbook", but I would put it below a few others, unless you're a huge Bradley Cooper and J-Law fan. I'm more fond of the movie "Mr. Jones" starring Richard Gere, but it includes a taboo love story. Many seem to have to include a love story! Movie makers want to make money. Right? I'm a little less fond of "Infinitely Polar Bear", but still like it more than "S. L. Playbook", and Mark Ruffalo is an adorable guy, for sure. I wouldn't have exactly left my child with an actively manic father, but the movie still had some substance. Somewhere I managed to watch it, for free, on the internet, a while back. Also, when it comes to powerful depictions of psychotic mania, I think the actor Tom Wilkinson (great actor) nailed it well in the movie "Michael Clayton". That movie is not a "bipolar movie", though. It just includes a character with it, but is definitely worth watching!

I haven't found that many films with a bipolar character in the psych hospital. "Touched With Fire" didn't really rock my boat, but maybe it would others'. An older movie that was more interesting to me was "Manic" starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and a very young Zoey Deschanel.

I've always wondered if the plans to make movies based on Kay R-J's "Unquiet Mind" or Andy Behrman's "Electroboy" memoirs would ever pan out. Maybe not. I remember thinking that "Electroboy" would likely have more of a chance of being a money-maker type movie. "Unquiet Mind" doesn't seem workable, in my view, for cinema, unless they fictionalize some of the story. They said they were thinking about Reese Witherspoon for the role of Kay. Reese probably could have done a great job! For "Electroboy", they said the actor Tobey Maguire wanted to produce and star in a movie based on that book. It also never happened.

Thank you, GSC2019

Soupe, wow - thanks! I have a good, solid list now!

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Originally Posted by Soupe du jour When it comes to documentaries, I think it's hard to beat the two-part one by Stephen Fry called "Stephen Fry - The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive". You can watch the whole thing for free online. Part 1 is at Stephen Fry: The secret Life of a Manic Depressive (part 1) - YouTube and Part 2 at Stephen Fry - The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive Part 2 - YouTube . I also watched one called "The Devil and Daniel Johnston". I did so in preparation for a sleep-deprivation EEG. Gotta say that it was making me fall asleep. When it comes to fictional movies featuring a person with bipolar, I've found few are really that great. I know most people love the "Silver Linings Playbook", but I would put it below a few others, unless you're a huge Bradley Cooper and J-Law fan. I'm more fond of the movie "Mr. Jones" starring Richard Gere, but it includes a taboo love story. Many seem to have to include a love story! Movie makers want to make money. Right? I'm a little less fond of "Infinitely Polar Bear", but still like it more than "S. L. Playbook", and Mark Ruffalo is an adorable guy, for sure. I wouldn't have exactly left my child with an actively manic father, but the movie still had some substance. Somewhere I managed to watch it, for free, on the internet, a while back. Also, when it comes to powerful depictions of psychotic mania, I think the actor Tom Wilkinson (great actor) nailed it well in the movie "Michael Clayton". That movie is not a "bipolar movie", though. It just includes a character with it, but is definitely worth watching! I haven't found that many films with a bipolar character in the psych hospital. "Touched With Fire" didn't really rock my boat, but maybe it would others'. An older movie that was more interesting to me was "Manic" starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and a very young Zoey Deschanel. I've always wondered if the plans to make movies based on Kay R-J's "Unquiet Mind" or Andy Behrman's "Electroboy" memoirs would ever pan out. Maybe not. I remember thinking that "Electroboy" would likely have more of a chance of being a money-maker type movie. "Unquiet Mind" doesn't seem workable, in my view, for cinema, unless they fictionalize some of the story. They said they were thinking about Reese Witherspoon for the role of Kay. Reese probably could have done a great job! For "Electroboy", they said the actor Tobey Maguire wanted to produce and star in a movie based on that book. It also never happened.

Hi Soupe, I watched both parts of the Stephen Fry doc. I found it informative and validating. He was very "real", down to earth. I am wondering if the people he portrayed have rather extreme cases of BD. Each case seemed pretty darn intense.

I think most of the featured people in his documentary have/had bipolar type 1. Some being celebrities surely made their experiences seem particularly unique, as well.

When it comes to severity of bipolar course, I think it is a matter what one is looking at. I mean, many with depression being far worse than mania do seem to have different looking disorders than if vice versa. Sad thing is that depression doesn't do as well at the box office, even though it can be particularly harsh and dangerous. Maybe mixed episodes, but not pure. I liked "Mr. Jones" because it did show his severe depression, though he was also supposed to clearly have bipolar 1 (full manias).

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Originally Posted by Soupe du jour I think most of the featured people in his documentary have/had bipolar type 1. Some being celebrities surely made their experiences seem particularly unique, as well. When it comes to severity of bipolar course, I think it is a matter what one is looking at. I mean, many with depression being far worse than mania do seem to have different looking disorders than if vice versa. Sad thing is that depression doesn't do as well at the box office, even though it can be particularly harsh and dangerous. Maybe mixed episodes, but not pure. I liked "Mr. Jones" because it did show his severe depression, though he was also supposed to clearly have bipolar 1 (full manias).

Yes, they all surely had BD1. My heart went out to the woman who would get so depressed she was unable to move at times, ashamed because she was "stuck in place" at the grocery store.

"Mr. Jones" is next on my list. Thanks again, Soupe!

The series Ozark with Bateman is good also.

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Originally Posted by bpcyclist The series Ozark with Bateman is good also.

Thank you, my friend.

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Originally Posted by Soupe du jour .....

I want to thank you! I watched "Mr. Jones" last night - profound! It's too bad they defaulted to the illicit affair, but I did my best to ignore that and focus on Richard Gere's character. Somebody knew what they were doing when they formed him. I found the film not so much entertaining as instructional. And immensely helpful. Again - thanks!

You're welcome, BethRags! I'm glad you are happy you saw it, and I agree that it was well thought out, excluding the mandatory illicit love bit. I think it clearly showed many of the issues involved with bipolar disorder, as well as how it concerns others. I'm glad they took the topic more seriously than other movies featuring bipolar disorder.

On Netflix there’s a series called Spinning Out. It’s about this ice skater and both she and her mom have bp. I’m only two episodes in it, but the daughter seems to do well with it, takes meds and whatnot. Her mom is a shitshow. It’s not the most accurate depiction, but I like watching them ice skate.

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Originally Posted by Sapien On Netflix there’s a series called Spinning Out. It’s about this ice skater and both she and her mom have bp. I’m only two episodes in it, but the daughter seems to do well with it, takes meds and whatnot. Her mom is a shitshow. It’s not the most accurate depiction, but I like watching them ice skate.

Thank you, Sapien!

I was a competitive ice skater (dance) when I was a young teen. In California, no less. Good days.

Hi Soupe!

Whew. I slogged my way through Silver Linings Playbook. Didn't care for that one. Way too much relentless hostility, and I have the feeling that someone pulled the term "bipolar disorder" out of a hat, without knowing the first thing about what the diagnosis means.


Mr. Jones was definitely the outstanding of the two. This is interesting, from Wikipedia:

To prepare for the film, Richard Gere, Mike Figgis and Eric Roth did a tremendous amount of research and studying on bipolar disorder. Gere met with several people who have the disorder to gain insight and knowledge on what to accurately portray.

Thanks again for the terrific recommendations

Thanks for sharing about their research. It definitely was apparent.

It was predictable that more people would prefer Silver Linings Play Book, for the usual reasons. It even had higher praise by viewers than Mr. Jones. But Roger Ebert clearly recognized the accomplishment of the Mr. Jones portrayal of a person with bipolar, giving it a thumbs up and a much higher rating/praise than viewers did.

The other day, for fun, I was watching YouTube videos about musicians and actors who perform incognito in public. In one case, a woman discovered that after she had given a homeless man some pizza, that that man was Richard Gere, researching for his part in a movie called "Time Out of Mind", which played a few years ago. Some say that ended up being one of Gere's finest performances. One article describes this a bit. I am now planning on renting that movie.

‘I’m nobody. I don’t exist’: Richard Gere cast adrift for homeless film | Richard Gere | The Guardian

In my opinion, Bradley Cooper did a much better job playing a man with a mental illness in "A Star is Born" than he did in Silver Linings. Though the "Star is Born" character had depression and other issues (addiction), not bipolar disorder. Richard Gere definitely gets more credit, in my book, for the bipolar portrayal. Maybe I just prefer bipolar portrayals be less comedic with less cheesy romance. I thought the illicit love in Mr. Jones wasn't necessary, but at least it did bring up the topic of countertransference love being taboo.

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Originally Posted by Soupe du jour Thanks for sharing about their research. It definitely was apparent. It was predictable that more people would prefer Silver Linings Play Book, for the usual reasons. It even had higher praise by viewers than Mr. Jones. But Roger Ebert clearly recognized the accomplishment of Mr. Jones, giving it a big thumbs up and a much higher rating/praise than viewers did. The other day, for fun, I was watching YouTube videos about musicians and actors who perform incognito in public. In one case, a woman discovered that she had given a homeless man some pizza, only to later discover that man was Richard Gere, researching for his part in a movie called "Time Out of Mind", which played a few years ago. Some say that ended up being one of Gere's finest performances. One article describes this a bit. I am now planning on renting that movie. ‘I’m nobody. I don’t exist’: Richard Gere cast adrift for homeless film | Richard Gere | The Guardian In my opinion, Bradley Cooper did a much better job playing a man with a mental illness in "A Star is Born" than he did in Silver Linings. Though the "Star is Born" character had depression and other issues (addiction), not bipolar disorder. Richard Gere definitely gets more credit, in my book, for the bipolar portrayal. Maybe I just prefer bipolar portrayals be less comedic with less cheesy romance. I thought the illicit love in Mr. Jones wasn't necessary, but at least it did bring up the topic of countertransferace love as being taboo.

Thanks - I'll check out the link. Richard Gere is an exceptionally talented actor. He has that "extra special something" and he possesses insight. His performance in Mr. Jones was outstanding; good for Roger Ebert. And I liked Lena Olin in the film, too - it's unfortunate that her character was weakened by the affair stuff.

I didn't like the comedic portrayal of mental illness in SLB, either. It displays a lack of knowledge and empathy. And the cheesiness is annoying, altogether. Would cancer be comedic? Of course not.

I like Lena Olin, too, but I couldn't help but think that if her character and Mr. Jones' were real people that their relationship would eventually fail. They portrayed her as almost desperate for love/companionship from the beginning. And also, how successful could a relationship be, long-term, when based on her empathy and attraction to him (or rather his illness/struggle/losses/exuberance)? Plus, he also seemed to want someone loving/caring to hold on to for support (as a substitute for "Ellen"), and Lena was also quite lovely, to boot. But how much did he really know HER?

My psychiatrist knows oodles and oodles about me. Though I know a little bit about him, there is far more that I don't know. I've had a transference love for him for years, and think he has a wee bit of countertransference (dare I say "affection") for me. But the figurative and literal border wall is there, and should be.

Mr. Jones was still in crisis, for most of the whole movie. I think love affairs should not begin then, nor can they be judged as solid, at such points. As for Silver Linings Playbook, I feel there was a little bit of the same (two people grabbing on to each other after crisis). In both cases, they portray "happily ever after" endings. The whole SLP dance contest thing, was ridiculous, and I love dancing. I know you do, too, Beth. I'm not saying that "happily ever afters" are impossible, but let's be real here. Struggles with mental illness go on. Mr. Jones had struggled for 20 years before, and likely wouldn't be symptom free forever more because of a love with his psychiatrist (and possibly...possibly becoming more compliant taking Lithium).

Add on (after Polibeth's "thanks" and post below): As for the Bradley Cooper character's med compliance, that confused the heck out of me. Did he become compliant in the end? Or did love and the dance contest practice "cure him". Also, his "bipolar symptoms" seemed so contrived, half of the time. And that bipolar friend of his from inpatient (in the SLP movie beginning), the movie threw that in to give an example of "rapid speech", and even made that look silly.

My opinions only.

I watched Mr. Jones the other day based upon the suggestion in this thread and enjoyed it.....though I agree with the others about the affair.

I don't find too many films depict mental illness well. I liked SLP - but I don't relate to that particular flavor of bipolar. I also watched the Stephen Fry YouTube videos and found those highly interesting.

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Originally Posted by Soupe du jour I like Lena Olin, too, but I couldn't help but think that if her character and Mr. Jones' were real people that their relationship would eventually fail. They portrayed her as almost desperate for love/companionship from the beginning. And also, how successful could a relationship be, long-term, when based on her empathy and attraction to him (or rather his illness/struggle/losses/exuberance)? Plus, he also seemed to want someone loving/caring to hold on to for support (as a substitute for "Ellen"), and Lena was also quite lovely, to boot. But how much did he really know HER? My psychiatrist knows oodles and oodles about me. Though I know a little bit about him, there is far more that I don't know. I've had a transference love for him for years, and think he has a wee bit of countertransference (dare I say "affection") for me. But the figurative and literal border wall is there, and should be. Mr. Jones was still in crisis, for most of the whole movie. I think love affairs should not begin then, nor can they be judged as solid, at such points. As for Silver Linings Playbook, I feel there was a little bit of the same (two people grabbing on to each other after crisis). In both cases, they portray "happily ever after" endings. The whole SLP dance contest thing, was ridiculous, and I love dancing. I know you do, too, Beth. I'm not saying that "happily ever afters" are impossible, but let's be real here. Struggles with mental illness go on. Mr. Jones had struggled for 20 years before, and likely wouldn't be symptom free forever more because of a love with his psychiatrist (and possibly...possibly becoming more compliant taking Lithium). Add on (after Polibeth's "thanks" and post below): As for the Bradley Cooper character's med compliance, that confused the heck out of me. Did he become compliant in the end? Or did love and the dance contest practice "cure him". Also, his "bipolar symptoms" seemed so contrived, half of the time. And that bipolar friend of his from inpatient (in the SLP movie beginning), the movie threw that in to give an example of "rapid speech", and even made that look silly. My opinions only.

I agree entirely with the points you've made about their relationship (inevitably failing) - it's truly unfortunate that the therapist-client romance cast a shadow over what was otherwise such a well-executed movie. The only way, I think, that the illicit romance could have been successfully worked into the story line was if countertransference was deeply explored - but that would have detracted from the primary focus of the film, which was Mr. Jones' BD.

No relationship (except a therapeutic one) should be started during crisis. OMG - recipe for genuine disaster.

As for SLP...it was like a stew that had weird ingredients tossed in, none having compatibility with the other. And their relationship surviving? Pffffttt. If it survived an hour I'll eat my hat!

It's been cool and enjoyable discussing these movies with you, and the others who've posted here.

I totally agree with what you wrote about the exploration of the countertransference. New movie, altogether! And your thoughts that Mr. Jones' illness could have been successfully explored even more, I also agree with, and so did Roger Ebert, in his review. I liked that they also included the little side story about the young "Amanda/Miranda" and her parents' less than perfect influence/attitude towards her illness. [Many can surely relate to that situation.] I'm also sure it is quite difficult for psychiatrists when they lose a patient, like Amanda.