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Movies About PTSD

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It might be a little too teen for you but there was an excellent movie that was based off of a book called Speak. It changed my life. I know that a lot of people might that it's silly.

The movie is about a girl in high school that finds her voice in the end. She has PTSD from an event that happened over the summer and has to return with all the struggles that come with it as the school year begins.

That's about all the info that I can give without telling you too much. It is a very simple move, and book, but I found that I could really relate to her and how hard, but important it is to find your voice.
 
For childhood sexual abuse victims, Mystic River is the best. several of my survivor friends and I went to that movie together. It was affirming to see how we suffer depicted so well by Tim Robbins. You all know about the startle effect, right? Watch for Tim's scene showing the startle effect. Blew me away.
 
Have been wanting to see that one for a while, thanks for the endorsement vallie000.

This is sorta drift...kinda. One of my favorite writers of old was - for sure - a serious PTSD sufferer. He wrote a book about the long term beatings he got from his dad with a razor strop, and the verbal abuse and degradation as well. The book (a novel 'cause he changed to names) detailed his first 18 years, his horrendous acne (from the abuse) and his descent into serious alchoholism,
his fighting, social rejection, isolation (!) all of it...

Two movies made about this guy, both endorsed by his wife. Kinda off beat, kinda esoteric, the biographical documentary is named: Bukowski, Born Into This. Tell ya, when Tom Waits and Bono relate how Bukowski's work influenced them, its pretty powerful. And when Bono recites a Bukowski poem it is downright moving. I wept. Lots of footage of Buk in his element, old Hollwood, near Little Armenia.

The other is a drama. Matt Dillon does a stellar job portraying Bukowski in his younger days. (Linda Lee Bukowski agreed) The movie is called: Factotem, and is a blending of several Bukowski short stories. Thought is was really good, mainstream movie goers, you might wanna pass. Pretty low key and like I said, "off beat" for sure.

Also, many have heard of the movie Barfly, with Mickey Rourke and Fay Dunaway. This is about Charles Bukowski, who said Mickey Rourke really wanted his input, and the movie turned out alright, pretty cool, especially since it was made during Bukowski's life. Not quite on the order of the other two though, not as cool IMO.

When I was in L.A. last summer, just hadta stop by and see Bukowski's old vacant bungalow on De Longpre - still there, but will probably be torn down.
 
I watch and love a lot of movies so I apologize in advance for the amount of text you are about to be confronted with! Here are 16 that come to mind.

An interesting one to watch would be "Repo! The Genetic Opera" (a musical) particularly for the "Night Surgeon (I remember)" and "Let the Monster Rise" sequences. I don't easily cry but this movie does it every time. Of course, this film may be triggering. It stars Alexa Vega, Anthony Stewart Head, Paris Hilton and Sarah Brightman. The 17-year old main character suffers from a "genetic blood disease" (perhaps a metaphor for family trauma) and lives alone with her father who controls every aspect of her life for fear of losing her. The film explores drug-addiction, vanity, dysfunctional family dynamics, corporate power, greed, and coping with a past that is too much to bear. This movie is full of metaphors and begs to be enjoyed again. Great soundtrack too.

"Black Snake Moan" is another really interesting one. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Timberlake. Christina Ricci's character is plagued by strange attacks of sexual nature. She eventually attempts to confront her mother about the sexual abuse she endured. Christina Ricci: "Well, I think there are millions of women like Rae out there and the link between childhood sexual abuse and promiscuity in women and low self worth and post traumatic stress and low self esteem. That link has been well established. And when I read the script, she was such an honest representation in a way without judgment on that kind of person and I thought, ‘oh, it’s so great to see someone who’s not sugar coated’ because that implies judgment. Then when I started doing more research about survivors of childhood sexual abuse and really understanding and reading testimonials and statistics and really understanding what she would be suffering from and the pain and fears and anxieties that were really her motivating emotions. I just felt so much compassion for her and felt really compelled to kind of protect her by playing her."

An obvious choice would be "Gulliver's Travels", the 1996 two-part made for TV version in which the character lives in the past and present simultaneously and is even committed. I identified with this character a lot for some reason, even as a child.

I highly recommend "Batman Begins".

What about "The Color Purple"? I saw the live musical but not the film version and it seems entirely relevant.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet) examines what would happen if people could just "erase" all of their bad memories.

And there are always M. Night Shyamalan films. The situation in "The Village" could be seen as a metaphor for compartmentalization. It turns out to have a lot to do with trauma. This is a MUST SEE! "Unbreakable" (Bruce Willis): man deals with being the only survivor of a horrific accident.

Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd" is more than just some graphic musical starring Burton's two favorite actors. This film is all about giving up hope after a trauma. It offers an important lesson about seeking revenge.

"Eye of the Beholder" (Ewan McGregor, Ashley Judd, Patrick Bergin) looks into the motivations of a female serial killer ("Merry Christmas, Daddy!") and the restless mind of a man who seems to have lost his wife and child. Definitely worth watching at least once. Notice how strongly the female lead is affected by her childhood role models and how greatly the professional life of Ewan McGregor's character is compromised by his psychological disturbances.

"The Cell" (Jennifer Lopez) is an obvious pick.

"Prozac Nation" (Christina Ricci, true story) is supposedly about "depression" but it's pretty obvious that the character's problems stem from childhood trauma. There is one hilarious (and sad) sequence in which the main character is lying listless in bed with her mother standing over her all upset and worried. It flashes back to when she was a little girl and her parents were screaming at each other and fighting very badly. Then it flashes back to the present and the mother, standing over her motionless daughter, cigarette in hand, says "What's WRONG with you?" (part 4 on YouTube).

"Girl, Interrupted" (Winona Ryder, true story). Borderline personality disorder - 'nuff said.

"Monster" (Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci) - true story of a female serial killer.

"The Butterfly Effect" (Ashton Kutcher) what if you could change the past? Deals with suicide, guilt, shame, incarcerated parents, sexual abuse, violence ect. Very triggering but definitely captures the feel of CPTSD.

"Forrest Gump" (Tom Hanks) Jenny is molested by her father and becomes a drug addict and suicidal because of it. In one scene she has a breakdown in front of her childhood home.
 
Broken by Battle

This is a british documentary looking at PTSD in british soldiers. Points out the militaries lack of follow up and adequate support for its war veterans. Good documentary that can be hard to watch. You can find it on you tube
 
Call Me Crazy- a five part film.

It's a lifetime movie with a great cast/producers, they did such an excellent job portraying different types of mental illness from both the sufferer and supporter side.
 
Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd" is more than just some graphic musical starring Burton's two favorite actors. This film is all about giving up hope after a trauma. It offers an important lesson about seeking revenge.

Yeah, agreed. After watching Sweeney Todd, two weeks later I still had a really weird feeling. I've decided to buy the action figure sometime, with the barber chair. And put it in my living room, so I don't forget about what he did and how it destroyed him afterwards.

My aunt who also has PTSD sent me some movies to watch a week ago and I think these haven't been mentioned yet. In from the night is about a teenage boy who has been abused and runs away to his aunt. Freedom Writers isn't about PTSD directly but is very nice to watch as it deals with teens who grow up in violent circumstances and their teacher manages to bring them togheter.
 
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