Psychology Assignment: The Movie Collateral (2004)

Doing one movie is required for this class. You may do an additional movie for extra credit. Each one will be worth a maximum of 20 points (so it's possible to earn up to 40 points by doing two). This project is due the day after the final exam.
1. Read the postings on these three web sites:
http://psychcentral(dot)com/lib/medias-damaging-depictions-of-mental-illness/0002220
http://www(dot)vice(dot)com/read/hollywood-sucks-at-portraying-mental-illness
http://www(dot)pbs(dot)org/wgbh/amex/nash/peopleevents/e_film.html
2. Choose one of the following movies and watch it. There is no particular order to these movies, and some are better at depicting mental illness than others. I am giving you a large selection to increase the chance that you will be able to find them--I doubt they'll be on Netflix, as some of them are quite old and were never big films to begin with. Local libraries would be good places to check for some of these classics.
3. Write your paper. Start with THE NAME OF THE MOVIE YOU WATCHED. Give a summary of the movie. You get to play the psychologist and make the diagnosis you feel best fits the character(s). Tell me what symptoms the character(s) exhibit, and how they fit the diagnostic profile for that illness. Does the character do or experience things that do not fit well with the diagnosis? Critique the film using the points discussed on the web sites. Is the film considered accurate in the depiction of mental illness, or is it biased to conform to the stereotypes that have been used in the media? How was the illness treated, and is the depiction of any therapists (doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses) reasonable or biased?
Also, I would like your personal reaction to the movie and the characters. If these people were among your family or friends, how do you think you would interact with the person? If you could give them some advice, what would it be? Please include any personal observations if you'd like. Submit your work in Dropbox.
Canvas
Affliction
Fatal attraction
Collateral (Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx)
Clean, Shaven
Jacob's Ladder
Benny & Joon
American Beauty
Girl, Interrupted
Matchstick Men
Lars and the Real Girl
The Soloist
Black Swan
The Fisher King
A Beautiful Mind
The Aviator
Ordinary People
Requiem for a Dream
Taxi Driver
Donnie Darko
Prozac Nation
The Three Faces of Eve
Spider
Silver Linings Playbook
Boy Don't Cry
As Good as it Gets (this one is a little tricky)
The Hours
Ironweed
It's Kind of a Funny Story
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
Through a Glass Darkly
Revolution No. 9