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Film Changes Direction

As we know, films play a critical role in our society. They reflect our culture and shape our perceptions, attitudes, and behavior. Film Changes Direction, a new feature of the campaign, identifies and promotes films that engage, inspire, and educate.

Through our work with many of the talented people involved with the film, Love &Mercy – Brian and Melinda Wilson, actors John Cusack and Paul Dano, director Bill Pohlad, producer Clair Rudnick Polstein, and screenwriter Oren Moverman— we began to think about the power of film to assist with our mission to change the culture of mental health. Love & Mercy tells the compelling story of Brian Wilson’s struggle with mental illness, and how a loving relationship saved his life. The film, which features wonderful music and superb acting, is an excellent example of the power of film to both entertain and enlighten.

As we work with partners and communities across the country, we look forward to sharing other films with you—and learning about films from you. We plan to share movies and documentaries that change how we think about, feel about, and care for our emotional wellbeing.

Get Involved Below

After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.

In the 1960s, Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson struggles with emerging psychosis as he attempts to craft his avant-garde pop masterpiece. In the 1980s, he is a broken, confused man under the 24-hour watch of shady therapist Dr. Eugene Landy.

What does it mean to lead men in war? What does it mean to come home? Hell and Back Again is a cinematically revolutionary film that asks and answers these questions with a power and intimacy like no other.

What would you do to save your child? A young teenager struggles with a debilitating mental illness as his mom risks everything to save him without losing the rest of her family.

Mind/Game intimately chronicles Holdsclaw’s athletic accomplishments and personal setbacks, and her decision, despite public stigma, to become an outspoken mental health advocate.

A dramatic feature film, told from the point of view of a group of Soldiers in the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, set in one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan at the height of the surge.

George seeks refuge at Bellevue Hospital, a Manhattan intake center for homeless men, where his friendship with a fellow client helps him try to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter.

Two bipolar patients meet in a psychiatric hospital and begin a romance that brings out all of the beauty and horror of their condition.

A Matter of Duty details Kennebec Sheriff Randy Liberty’s personal battle with PTSD and several veterans in his charge at the Kennebec County Jail. Liberty’s honesty about his own condition and his efforts to help other veterans vividly depicts the continuing impact of war on the men and women who have served our country.

A look at how far parents will go to protect their children. Feature film based on a novel by Herman Koch.

Based on the filmmaker’s own story, THE TALE is an investigation into one woman’s memory as she is forced to re-examine her first sexual relationship and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.

The life of celebrated but reclusive author, J.D. Salinger, who gained worldwide fame with the publication of his novel, “The Catcher in the Rye”.  The movie is based on the book J. D. Salinger: A Life by Kenneth Slawensk.

Based on the novel “My Abandonment,” by Peter Rock, “Leave No Trace” is the story of a father and daughter: PTSD-afflicted veteran and widower Will (Ben Foster), who insists on living apart from the world, and teenager Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie), who finds herself yearning to join it.

An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children’s television host, Fred Rogers.

Into the Light focuses on Brendan O’Toole, a former Marine, and his struggle to assimilate back into society after returning from war and Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, founder and president of Give an Hour, as she comes to the realization that she needs to share her own story.

Ultimately this is a film about trust…the trust we put in one another so we can feel safe to tell our stories. The film’s purpose is simple and direct: to serve as a conversation starter for millions of people to change the culture around mental health, mental illness and emotional well-being.

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