Library / Living With Mental Illness
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OUT OF MIND, OUT OF SIGHT | Full Documentary | National Film Board of Canada
Out of sight isn't the same as beyond help.
Who it's for
Public images of people who were violent while mentally ill tend to be monstrous; a long observational film centred on patients' own voices complicates that stereotype.
Feelings it meets
What it is
A 2014 National Film Board of Canada feature documentary (about 88 minutes) directed by John Kastner. Kastner was given access to the Brockville Mental Health Centre, a forensic psychiatric hospital in Ontario. The film follows four patients who committed violent acts while mentally ill as they go through treatment and try to regain control of their lives and return to society.
Where to find it
YouTube, official NFB channel (free); also on nfb.ca.
Before you start
Heads up: Violent offences and psychiatric crises.
Age: Adult (18+)
I felt a funeral in my brain, And mourners, to and fro, Kept treading, treading, till it seemed That sense was breaking through.Emily Dickinson, Poems by Emily Dickinson, Three Series
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