In the midst of last night's inclement weather, I found myself snuggled up in bed (well, as much as one can 'snuggle in the middle of Summer) to watch "Mental", an Australian movie touching on the oft taboo topic of mental illness. As a psychology graduate, the premise of the film both intrigued and frightened me; would they manage the handle the heavy subject matter with requisite sensitivity? Coupled with this, the wildly inconsistent reviews the film received led me to conclude it was an acquired taste (much like sashimi or caviar).
I'm glad to report I was pleasantly surprised. However, I feel it only right to warn upfront that the film, written and directed by PJ Hogan of Muriel's Wedding fame, suffers from much the same cringworthyness, not to mention some striking plot similarities.
Set in the class-less, tact-less town of Dolphin Heads (sounds strangley similar to Porpoise Spit, does it not?), we are welcomed to the Moochmore family, whose patriach, the town mayor (Anthony LaPaglia) is having a rather public affair with his secretary while his long-suffering wife (Rebecca Gibney) suffers a nervous breakdown (deja vu, anyone?).But enough about "terrible" similarities between the two films, topped off by Toni Collette serving as the well-meaning, but slightly mental, protagonist, known as Shaz.
Once the damaged and broken mother is shipped off to a mental asylum (referred to as "Woolongong"), daddy dearest picks up a hitchiker named Shaz (Collette) to take care of his five neurotic, dysfunctional girls so he can continue to lay down the law in the boardroom (if you catch my drift...).
Cue a wonderful tale of self-discovery in which Shaz encourages the girls to cast off the shackles of their father's neglect and the stigma which precedes them.
For me, the true beauty of the film were the assumptions of normality which we always accept as gospel. What is it to be "normal"? And conversely, what does it mean to be "insane"? These heady questions are tossed around meaningfully as most of the main characters face their demons, often oscillating between normality and dysfunction.
This raises the poignant question of whether sanity or otherwise is a permanent state of being, or simply a transient state; a matter of perception.
But don't fret...these existential questions are tempered with plenty of comedic relief including, notably, Aunty Doris and her china dolls and Nancy the neighbour, whose obsessive-compulsive tendencies see her scrubbing her driveway with a toothbrush on a daily basis.
Not to spoil the ending, but I think it's safe to say that "normal" is a highly subjective term and there's probably a little mental in all of us!
For the trailer, go to: http://youtu.be/VnQPnXbj-RY
Happy watching! Xx
