Schizophrenia

Kate Topete

Introduction to Special Education 203

Movie Critique

February 05, 2022

 The movie I chose for this movie critique is, A Beautiful Mind. The movie is based

on a true story of John Nash (mathematician who won a Nobel Prize in economic

sciences). The story outlines his struggles he faces throughout his life and the impacts

he has on people who become apart of his life. As time goes on, Nash’s schizophrenia

begins to disrupt his own career and his relationships as he struggles to acknowledge

his disability.

Nash, though he does not know it yet has a form of schizophrenia, in particular

paranoid schizophrenia. He begins displaying symptoms in his earlier days of college.

For example, when he speaks, he has a stutter which can be a symptom. In general,

nobody who Nash spoke to ever questioned him to have this disability, they just

assumed that he acted in an odd manor. Later, Nash began to experience delusions

and hallucinations. It began when he was asked to assist decoded some information for

the U.S military. Afterwards, Nash begins to hallucinate a man who claims to be an

undercover spy and which Nash is recruited to decode information for him to help his

country. This is when Nash’s disability really starts to affect him and the people he is

around. Before, Nash was also viewed as a smart but weird man. He got along with

most people in the movie; Nash was also very forward and blunt with women. Once he

began presented symptoms for his disability, people questioned if there was something

wrong with Nash as it started to affect their life as well. For example, when Nash got

married and had a child his treatment for his disability caused him to be distant and

unhelpful at work. While off his medication, he seemed much happier but also was

experiencing delusions of his own. He continued to be his same blunt smart self

towards others despite his disability. When Nash seemed paranoid to others at his
workplace he was laughed at and thought to be a crazy man. This is also when others

became aware of his disability and was later given treatments for it.

As society, I think if you do not somewhat understand what schizophrenia is and

process it can take a person through it can make the person seem “crazy.” To erase this

prejudice, I think people first need to get a relative understanding of the disability. They

also need to understand that just because they have this disability does not mean they

are treated as less for it. Once people learn to view the person as not a sick person but

a person, I think it can help to break this barrier we have created as a society. Creating

movies like, A Beautiful Mind, helps people understand who people with schizophrenia

act the way they do and maybe start to create awareness for people who may appear to

have similar symptoms.

The person most affected by Nash’s disability besides himself was his wife. This

is the person who shared most intimate moments with Nash and who become the

closest to him. Nash’s disability started affected their relationship when he began to

show up late to their scheduled get togethers due to his hallucinations. It only continued

from that moment to worse. Towards the end of the movie, Nash seemed disconnected

from their relationship. When they had a child together, Nash’s delusions withdrew from

his family but also because he was receiving treatment, he was disconnected

emotionally from both his wife and his child. While receiving treatment for his disability,

his wife had to become a caretaker for him and their child. At one point, Nash’s

delusions become so paranoid he believed he was helping his country by drowning his

child in a bathtub and he ended up harming his wife a little too.

 The movie ended us seeing Nash learn to ignore his delusions and hallucinations

which helped him in his recovery. We also see Nash earn the respect of his colleagues

which he desired for (especially because they thought he was crazy) after he wins the

Nobel Prize. In my opinion, the movie ended in a great way. Nash still has this disability

to where he must learn to fight with it everyday and yet he is able to continue a happy

and safe life with it.

 Works Cited

Howard, Ron. “Watch a Beautiful Mind - Netflix.” Netflix, Netflix ,

https://www.netflix.com/hu-en/title/60021793.