Are You Here

 I recently saw Are You Here, a movie with Owen Wilson, Zack Galifianikis and Amy Poehler, written and directed by Matthew Weiner. The movie is currently my favorite depiction of mental illness in film. While some parts of the plot are implausible, Ben, Zack Galifianikis's character, as young man diagnosed with manic-depression is powerful. The writer captures much of the complexity of the disease, deftly conveying moments of psychosis and depression.

What is most beautiful in the movie is his friendship with Owen Wilson's character, Steve. Both characters are depicted as seriously flawed individuals who accept each other's shortcomings as an intrinsic part of each's identity. However, this doesn't mean they don't want to see change in one another. It shows the beauty and depth of accountability in relationships. Each calls out the other for reckless choices in a way that cuts through the noise. This communication invites them to respond to each other's chastising.

The movie doesn't glorify bipolar mania. It identifies how external circumstances trigger the disease. Rather than just showing the rush and energy that transforms a regular person into a brilliant offensive genius, it shows how real-life scenarios become muddled and confused. You can see how Ben struggles to interpret reality. His desires are shown as neutral - not good, bad, or brilliant - conceptions of how he wishes the world could be.

The story doesn't show medicine as an answer, but as Ben's pathway to normalcy. The best friend even seems cautious of the risks of inoculating his personality and warping his brain function. The movie uses serious dialogue to uncover how many elements of this man's life are at stake if his disease is unregulated.

Ben experiences fear and paranoia, doesn't eat or sleep and has a psychotic episode. Matthew Weiner doesn't portray him as a naked madman totally unhinged from reality. Rather, he shows a sympathetic character hurting people when triggers accumulate to drive his behavior.

The story shows how the disease can fracture relationships. You see the risks of not managing the disease. The stakes are raised even higher as a family member seeks to prevent Ben from receiving his inheritance because of his instability. His livelihood, established by the inheritance, is threatened by him not maintaining his mental illness. This is one of the greatest perils those with severe mental illness face. Not only are relationships damaged, but also ones ability to work, earn an income, manage finances and provide for their own home.

Ben grapples with moving forward after his psychotic break. He loses hope. He evaluates what he has written in journals and sees how good desires intermingle with irrationality. Throughout Ben's story, his friend Steve is a constant. Steve knows Ben and cares for him. He is the one individual invested in Ben's present and future. Steve struggles with addiction and alcoholism. At the beginning of the story they are enabling one another. By the end, the friendship becomes strained but the compassion for each other remains stable.

Friendship and compassion are two unparalleled tools for maintaining stability.