Trauma can be hard to talk about, but it is a common theme in movies that we spend time and money to watch. In this post, I will highlight movies I think do a great job of portraying trauma and teaching people about it. This is by no means an all-inclusive list though, just a few that came to mind, so feel free to comment and add some of your favorite movies that involve trauma.
Movies are meant to entertain us and help us escape from everyday worries. However, when they are made well, they can also elicit powerful emotions. I have noticed that since entering the mental health field, I view things differently and think about them deeper than I did before. For example, when I hear a song on the radio that blatantly objectifies and/or claims ownership of someone's body, I reflect on the many clients I have had who have been sexually abused and how painful that message might be for them to hear.
Or sometimes it is just little critiques about how things would be in the real world. For example, a complaint I have about 'Frozen' is that the sisters would need a lot more time and family therapy to work through their dysfunctional relationship than just one powerful moment of true sisterly love. So many years of hurt healed in one moment--only in Disney. Don't we all wish that were true in real life!
Side note, trauma is a word that is thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean? There are obvious traumatic experiences such as those that occur in war or abuse of any kind, but the underlying requirement for something to be traumatic is for it to be beyond a person's power to deal with. A situation where a person feels powerless and therefore extremely unsafe and afraid.
Anyway, I will move on to the movies I believe handle trauma themes well:
1) Rememory (2017)
"When you watch this, you'll realize who I am--who I really am." (Sam)
"[...] Whoever you really are, thank you." (Freddie)
This is the movie I watched last night that actually inspired this blog post. It was fascinating! I am so glad I stumbled upon it as I was scrolling through Amazon Prime movies to stream as I folded laundry. I don't want to spoil anything though because I highly recommend you watch this movie. The premise is a brilliant psychologist who creates a machine that can extract memories accurately and enable you to re-experience them in an effort to work through painful memories and trauma. Turns out, there are some serious problems with the machine such as it causing hallucinations, dwelling on painful memories too much, bringing back repressed things that the subjects wish were still repressed, etc. There is some mystery along the way and some holes in the main characters' trauma you don't learn the full story about until the end.
The message this movie teaches about how our memories shape us is amazing. We need to embrace the good and bad memories in our lives, because both extremes have made us who we are. There is no delete button, but we can work through things. I love the symbolic ways the characters deal with trauma in the end. It is beautiful. It teaches us that we are so much more than the trauma we have been through, the mistakes we have made, or the unfulfilled dreams we have. We can move forward. Hope and love are the answers.
Our memories make up so much of who we are and how we experience things. It is amazing how subjective they can be though. I'm sure you can think of a family member that remembers things completely different than you do even though you had similar experiences. It is almost like people have their own reality sometimes. This is why many forms of therapy seek to teach people to be more neutral or rational in their thoughts and perceptions, and thereby gradually changing their emotions and behaviors.
2) The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
"We accept the love we think we deserve."
This movie (book originally) deals with a socially awkward teenager who discovers a lot about himself and has some significant trauma from his past (an aunt who abused him). I was impressed with how they portrayed mental health issues and dealing with trauma in an accurate way, and how difficult it can be to find yourself and love yourself when you are dealing with the effects of trauma.
3) Moana (2016)
"They have stolen the heart that's inside you, but this does not define you. This is not who you are. You know who you are."
This one isn't as obvious or outright as the others, but still can teach a powerful lesson about effects of trauma. Te Fiti is full of anger and fire because her heart has been stolen (which can be likened to any traumatic experience). When Moana validates and shows she understands Te Fiti, she unlocks the secret to dissolving the beastly effects trauma can have. If you have a loved one who deals with trauma, it is very possible they go into 'fight or flight mode' extremely easily and say things they don't mean. It is helpful to have an understanding that their lashing out is coming from a place of their own hurt. This is not to say their trauma excuses them from being responsible for their actions though, so make sure to keep healthy boundaries and be assertive when you are being treated poorly--whatever the underlying reason.
Movies are a great way to open up more discussion on certain topics. Comment with what movies you would add to the list!
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