The 17th annual Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival ran from Nov. 5 to 14, shining a spotlight on movies that deal with mental illness and addiction. The fear and shame that are so often associated with these issues can make their exploration difficult for the general public. As an artistic medium, however, film allows audiences a chance to examine the subject matter from a safe distance. The creative freedom that comes with film also allows directors to push the boundaries of reality. Viewers can enter the minds and imaginations of those with mental illnesses or addictions, helping to dispel common myths about these conditions.
Clara (2008)
VVVv
Helma Sanders-Brahms’ Clara recounts a story of passion, loyalty, and great madness. Clara and Robert Schumann were two of the most famous figures in 19th-century Romantic music: Robert wrote symphonies, while Clara performed them in front of thousands of admiring listeners across Europe. The family’s well-being slowly begins to fall apart as the whispers and melodies in Robert’s head become so loud that he can no longer hear the real world—unless he silences the noises with drugs. Clara must choose whether to support her husband’s addiction, thus allowing him to write more music, or watch him become trapped in the chaos of his own mind. The film, rich in both colour and overwhelming melodies, effectively explores the link between creativity, genius, and mental illness.
Invisible Loneliness (2009)
VVVVV
Hsien Lin Jung’s Invisible Loneliness provides a stunning visual representation of what it is like to be completely alone as a child. The short animated film takes the audience into a little girl’s dream. Pulled in by deep reds, blues, and browns, we follow the heroine’s journey as she flies with magical creatures around her cardboard world. Equipped only with a tiny key, the paper girl must find a way home, hoping her parents have finally returned. Though the central character’s viewpoint does not reach far beyond an adult’s waist, the world can still seem deafeningly silent and endlessly huge.
Marion Woodman: Dancing in the Flames (2009)
VVVVV
Gender theorist Marion Woodman said, “I do believe we all have a destiny. We either live it or we escape because we are afraid to live our own reality.” Adam Greydon Reid’s documentary about Woodman explores her psychological “deaths” and “rebirths” through several interviews. Although Woodman has written on the hardships of the modern condition, she sees society as being in the middle of a great birth. The documentary feels like a definite departure from tired New Age philosophies: Woodman herself is captivating to listen to, and her theories are fascinating.
