A Beautiful Mind Film Analysis
A Beautiful Mind Film Analysis This movie is based on the true story of the brilliant mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. He made remarkable advancements in the field of mathematics at a young age and had a very promising future. Unfortunately, John Nash had problems deciphering the difference between reality and hallucinations. He had a mental disorder known as Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a severe, complex illness that causes hallucinations and can affect a person’s ability to think clearly, manage feelings, make decisions, and relate to others.
From the beginning of the movie it is not hard to find John Nash to be a little eccentric and odd. His social skills were a little off, and he seemed to never really relate to anyone; a potential warning sign of schizophrenia. It was not unusual for a person so bright to exhibit these characteristics, so they were easily written off as quirks by the viewers, and by the characters in the movie. He went on to have a seemingly very eventful life. It appeared that he was hired by the secret service to complete tasks for the government because of his extreme intelligence, and he had befriended a fellow Princeton student named Charles.
He also went on to marry Alicia who was a former student of his at MIT that he was quickly intrigued by. Up until the shift in the movie, this was John Nash’s reality. About in the middle of the story it was revealed that this secret life of his was all just hallucinations, except for Alicia; she was the one real thing he had in his life. His work for the government and his best friend were all fragments of his imagination. He exhibited paranoia, which was thought at first due extremely his risky job, and it was understandable.
But in reality, he was paranoid all the time and had such realistic hallucinations because he suffered from schizophrenia. The voices he heard, and his inability to distinguish between reality and his made up life were all characteristics of this mental illness. Even when he was in the mental hospital being informed of his illness and being shown evidence that the life he was living was made up, he refused to believe anyone. This was an example of the delusional aspect of schizophrenia.After he returned home from the mental hospital it seemed like he was making a lot of progress although he wasn’t the same as he used to be probably because of the medication he was on and also, having to hear that everything you thought was real was all made up and the life you lived was fake could take a toll on someone.
Just when things seemed to be going better for him and his hallucinations were rare to nonexistent he decided to not take his medicine because of its restrictions and they returned.He’d be doing well, without any hallucinations and then they’d come back as if he still believed they were real. Not only did this take a toll on his own life, his wife Alicia was suffering. She was pregnant and was married to someone who was not the same person he was when they got married. She felt obligated to help him, she still loved him but she couldn’t live a normal life with him if it continued. The love she had for him and the kindness of her heart led her to stay with him through everything, even during their hardest times.
Eventually, John Nash began to have a little more control over his hallucinations. Although he still occasionally had them he ignored them once he realized that they were not real. This movie was based on the true story of John Nash, the genius who suffered with schizophrenia. I thought the movie was excellent and really well made. It was definitely “over dramatized” but it was necessary for entertainment purposes. In john Nash’s case, he did not have visual hallucinations, they were only auditory.
Therefore, his case of schizophrenia wasn’t really portrayed very accurately, but it may be similar to cases of those who suffer with visual hallucinations. If this movie did not include the visual hallucinations it would not have been as effective and would have lacked the shock factor that was important, therefore it would have less of a lasting effect on people and overall less entertaining. I think that the movie makes the imaginary parts seem so real so that people will understand how real it seems to John Nash.Overall I thought it was a great movie and it made me very interested in the mental illness. A beautiful Mind is a movie based on the true story of brilliant mathematician John Nash.
Unfortunately he suffered from a severe mental illness known as schizophrenia and it restricted him from ever reaching his true potential. He couldn’t dedicate himself to what he was best at because he struggled with his sanity. This movie takes you inside the mind of a schizophrenic, and it allows you to understand more about the illness.
