MOVIE ANALYSIS DATE

02/21/24

A BEAUTIFUL
MIND
PRESENTED BY
Group 3: BSN 3-YB-20
DIRECTED BY: RON HOWARD
 In 2001, a biographical film titled "A Beautiful Mind"
about mathematician John Nash delves into the
intricate connection between mental illness and
genius. The video delves deeply into Nash's struggle
with schizophrenia, a mental condition characterized
by abnormal thought patterns, hallucinations, and
difficulty distinguishing fact from fantasy.

The film deftly captures Nash's inner struggle as the

narrative develops, as well as the substantial impact
his mental health has on both his personal and
professional lives.
As the story progresses, the movie skillfully portrays Nash's inner turmoil and the
significant influence his mental health has on his personal and professional life. The
graphic depiction of Nash's hallucinations and his struggles to tell fact from
fantasy offers viewers an engrossing and educational look into his psychological
journey.

The movie also explores the cultural stigma associated with mental illness, as well
as the need to seek care from friends and family. It underlines how important
resilience is in negotiating the intricacies of mental health challenges. "A Beautiful
Mind" is an interesting film that contributes to a bigger scientific discussion about
the intricate relationship between mental ability and the complexities of human
psychology.

INTRODUCTION
SUMMARY
“A Beautiful Mind” is a biographical movie directed
by Ron Howard, which is inspired by the life of
mathematician John Nash, portrayed by Russel
Crowe. John Nash is introduced as the mysterious
West Virginia genius who won the Carnegie
Scholarship. John is always deeply immersed with
his work, Mathematics, which is why he doesn’t have
any attachments. He claimed, “The truth is that I, I
don’t like people much, and they don’t much like
me”. Even with that in mind, he was able to gain
some friends, including his prodigal roommate,
Charles, portrayed by Paul Bettany, who would be
with him through it all.
 SUMMARY
In Princeton University, John struggled to find his
“truly original idea” that he would later gain and
submit to win and be in Wheeler. After five years,
John became a doctor and was the analyst from
the Wheeler Lab. Known for his deciphering skills,
he was then accustomed to military issues, working
on top secrets. In the middle of his new job, he met
a girl Alicia who was portrayed by Jennifer
Connelly, who later on became his wife. As time
went on, John continued to work with the top
secrets, and he became agitated and paranoid
with his and his wife’s safety after he was chased.
His wife, startled by his sudden actions, asked a
psychiatrist for help.
SUMMARY
This is where John’s life takes turns. After
being celebrated for his genius, he was
diagnosed as Schizophrenic. After some
treatment and isolation, John was doing
better not until he stopped taking his
medications because he couldn’t focus on his
Mathematics work. Just when John started to
seem better, his delusions and paranoia
were triggered. After being confronted by
his wife, John realized that his “delusions”
are not real. He acknowledged his illness,
and continuously fight his hallucinations. He
went back to Princeton University to do what
he loves, Mathematics, started ignoring his
hallucinations and as well as the mockery of
others.
 SUMMARY
Years later, students recognized him and
his works that led him to being a Professor
once again. John Nash was able to fight
his mental illness, continued doing what he
loves, and was finally recognized and won
the Nobel Prize, despite facing many
difficulties in life. He was able to learn that
there is more to life than Mathematics, like
love. Like his wife, who always believed in
him, who became “all his reasons”.
CHARACTERS JOSH NASH

ALICIA NASH
 CHARACTERS

WILLIAM PARCHER MARCEE HERMAN CHARLES HERMAN

 CHARACTERS

DR. ROSEN RICHARD SOL BENDER MARTIN HANSEN

PSYCHOSOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
According to Erik Erickson’s Theory of
Psychosocial Development, there are eight
stages that people go through. In the movie,
the protagonist exhibits few of the stages.
Trust vs. Mistrust
John Nash showed both. He trusted his wife,
Alicia, so deeply. He told her the “mission that
was appointed to him by the government”
even if his contact said that what they did was
classified. On the other hand, Nash also
showed mistrust. As his illness developed, his
mistrust also did. He became suspicious of his
friends and the people around him, if they are
his friends or if they were Russians that were
out to get him.
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
A brilliant example of this stage
was when Nash showed his
autonomy by initially choosing to
fight his illness without the help of
the professionals. He took
matters into his own hands, he
didn’t take his medications which
caused his illness to worsen,
eventually his wife and his doctors
found out and Nash said he was
only doing that because the
medicines were making him feel
useless and he wants to help his
wife; which is an example of
shame and doubt.
Initiative vs. Guilt
Nash demonstrates initiative in pursuing
original ideas and theories, but as his mental
health deteriorates, he experiences guilt and
internal conflicts, leading to the emergence of
paranoid delusions.
Industry vs. Inferiority
Nash's industrious nature is evident in his
academic achievements and contributions to
mathematics. However, the onset of
schizophrenia hinders his ability to maintain a
normal life, giving rise to feelings of inferiority.
Identity vs. Role Confusion
Although the movie does not delve into Nash's
adolescence, it is acknowledged that he
encountered challenges and social isolation
due to his unconventional behavior, potentially
contributing to identity issues.
Intimacy vs. Isolation
Nash establishes meaningful relationships,
including his marriage to Alicia. Nevertheless,
his struggle with schizophrenia leads to
isolation as his paranoid delusions strain his
interpersonal connections.
Generativity vs. Stagnation
As Nash is slowly getting better from his illness,
he went back to Princeton to try and go back
teaching. At first, his illness got the best of him
but Alicia comforted him and asked him to try
again. He went and gradually he got better
and succeeded at teaching. Teaching is
where he found his purpose.
Integrity vs. Despair
Despite his illness, Nash became a husband, a
father, a friend, a Princeton professor, and
even a Nobel Prize awardee. His life may
have gone through a dark patch but that and
his illness did not stop him from having a great
life and remarkable life.
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
Schizophrenia is extremely challenging for doctors, researchers, and people
who have it. It is a type of psychotic disorder, which means that diagnosed
individuals may experience detachment from reality and significant
interference in their daily lives

Character Symptoms

Positive symptoms – any change in behavior or thoughts, such as hallucinations

or delusions.
1.) Delusions
Grandiose
Persecutory

2.) Hallucinations

Negative symptoms-– where people appear to withdraw from the world

around then, take no interest in everyday social interactions, and often appear
emotionless and flat.
Avolition
Anhedonia

Social/occupational dysfunction

Duration
- Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least 6 months.
ETIOLOGY
Schizophrenia’s etiology is still unknown. But there are
different factors that increases the risk of having this
mental illness.

The following our the contributing factors:

Genetics
Neurobiological
Psychosocial (Stress, Lack of social support, and
Dysfuntioncal family)
TREATMENT &
MANAGEMENT
John Nash was brought to Psychiatric
Hospital.
He was undergoing insulin shock therapy for 5
times a week for 10 weeks.
Antipsychotic medications was given (Haldol
and Thorazine)
Months have passed, John was discharged
but his delusions and hallucinations are still
there. He just used to ignore it and live with it
and was advised to have a low stress
environment.
TREATMENT &
MANAGEMENT
The treatment that they do in the movie is
rehabilitation. Rehabilitation helps people go
back to themselves and become better. Of
course, with the help of her wife and friends. It is
also about self-realization and being realistic.
LEARNINGS
John Nash stated, “I can’t fail, this is all I
am”, and I somehow relate. To conquer the
fear of failure is one of the most difficult
things I have to learn. But overtime, I have
learned acceptance and progress. Life is a
rocky journey to live. I have learned that
failure is a stepping stone for a better
tomorrow. For more success.

Nina Caoili
 What we’ve experience will never change, rather
we can learn from it. As I’ve watched the movie, I
saw all his hard work and sufferings. Each
individual will have their ups and downs, and that
experience will allow us to improve ourselves as
we move on to the next chapter of our lives.

Failure is one of my fears, I can relate to what he

said in the beginning of the movie. Where he can’t
fail. Conquering this fear will totally crush your soul
and mind thinking what you did wrong. But this is
when the acceptance is needed most. When John
Nash accepted his condition, this is when it gets
better because of his own willingness to recover.
And this applies in real life, accepting your
mistake will totally give you a big change in your
life, a growth to be a better version of yourself. LEARNINGS
Agustin, Jasmin Ira P.
 LEARNINGS
“As you will find in multivariable calculus, there is often
a number of solutions for any given problem.” As Nash
stated this, I understand that in every specific problem
there’s a lot of solutions as long as you don’t lose focus
and keep calm.

De Villa, Vincent

The portrayal of Nash's journey emphasizes that resilience in the

face of mental health challenges is a dynamic process. It involves
acknowledging one's condition, seeking appropriate help, and
drawing strength from personal relationships and internal
fortitude. By depicting Nash's ability to manage schizophrenia
and continue his life's work, the film inspires audiences to
recognize the resilience within themselves and others, fostering a
more empathetic understanding of mental health struggles.

De Leon, Cronica Fay

 LEARNINGS
This sentence was said by John Nash,
anyone can have a beautiful mind because
we have our own thinking we can make
things perfect just by imagining it. But
sometimes it is hard to find someone who
has a beautiful heart, like John’ wife, even
though it was hard for her to stay and live
with John along with their baby. She is
strong, understanding, and she proved that
her love for John prevails. In this movie, I
also learned that only you can help
yourself if you really want to be cured.

Daaca, Abigail
LEARNINGS
We need to be easy on ourselves, we are
still learning and we don't know everything.
We can be the best version of ourselves
and enjoy life as well. Be with our friends
and family and live our life to the fullest so
we don't regret it in the end.
Costales, Maxene Ann
Some issues in our lives cannot be solved.
So we occasionally need to have fun with
the people who are important to us. Even
though we don't always know what to do,
we still need to be able to look around and
gather solutions to our problems.

Delos Santos, Janewell

 LEARNINGS
The film illustrates how individuals, like John
Nash, can achieve success and lead fulfilling
lives despite battling mental health issues. This
inspiring story teaches us to never give up, to
keep pushing forward, and to believe in our
ability to overcome life’s challenges.

Baduria, Reg Rhavel

I was unaware of the extent to which
schizophrenia impacts a person's day-to-
day functioning until I saw this movie. The
life-altering effects of schizophrenia might
include difficulty attending work or school,
maintaining a schedule, interacting with
others, doing everyday activities, and
taking care of oneself.

Delos Reyes, Kevin Carlo

 LEARNINGS I cannot imagine how hard it must
The line "I need to believe that
something extraordinary is be for those people who are
possible." emphasizes the struggling with mental illness, and
significance of optimism and also their families and friends. It
hope amid difficulty. When it helped me understand that having
comes to their relationship, mental illness is a serious problem
Nash's recovery, or his and it should be talked about more
contributions to mathematics, to give awareness about these
Alicia never gives up hope for the illnesses. I also learned that we
remarkable, even in the face of should not give up on them, just like
the difficulties they endure what Alice did. We should love them
together as a couple coping with more and be patient with them.
his schizophrenia. It highlights They’re suffering enough as it is, we
how hope can change things and shouldn't add to that suffering.
how crucial it is to have a good Instead, we have to support them
mindset, even in unfavorable and try to give them the help they
circumstances. need.

Diego, Jewel Christine Francisco, Cherlene Kamyll

 LEARNINGS
It offered me a deeper understanding of people who struggle with schizophrenia, especially how
difficult it is to battle with delusions and hallucinations. It underscores the necessity for individuals to
demonstrate resilience when confronting mental illness, highlighting the critical significance of
receiving support, undergoing appropriate treatment, and engaging in efforts to comprehend and
accept the condition.
Celda, Dan Christian

It led me to perceive another reality on how mentally challenged people face their daily lives, on how they
decide, view people, and influence the people around them. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that is closely
associated with creative thought and achievement, and these may be overwhelming for us. Having the proper
grasp on what a schizophrenic patient struggles helps us to appreciate them and not see them as broken, rather,
people in need of companionship. Real company that guides and leads them to a reality check and keeps them
sane when they are lost between the thin line of reality and delusions.
Reyes, Rovie Daniel
A BEAUTIFUL
MIND
Directed by: Ron Howard
A Beautiful Mind is based on a true story.