The Theme Of Mental Illness In The Movie The "Matchstick Man"

Matchstick men is a movie which was released in 2003, and directed by Ridley Scott. The film was based on the book which had been written by Garcia known as the Matchstick Men. This movie is about the confident tricksters where the protagonists' character is played by Roy and was convincingly played by Nicolas Cage who is suffering from the Tourette's syndrome and the obsessive-compulsive disorder. The themes which run in the storyline of the film are; the story of the conmen who are filled with the anticipated adjustments and the interesting final sting. The second theme is the own tale of the individual who is struggling to manage the mental illness due to the challenge of the teenage girl whom he did not know she existed. This paper will review the storyline of the movie the "Matchstick Man".

The theme in the Movie

Mental illness which Roy encounters is the dominant theme in the movie. More so, Roy receives medication due to them, but he still stays in a lonely life. Roy is upset by Frank who defies the need for his cleanliness. Roy usually smokes so that he can get rid of the stress and anxiety which does not help in rectifying the condition. Yes, the movie has stereotypes where the characters believe that smoking of cigarettes enables one to cope with the repetitive behaviors and also the chemical in it reduces the stress which has been associated with obsessive thoughts. This is a stereotype because Roy is always stressful due to his mental illness.

Mental illness in the movie

Roy suffers from the obsessive-compulsive syndrome which makes him have stress and live with anxiety. Even after taking his medications he is always lonely thus not being able to act on what he attracts. Additionally, Roy keeps on smoking so that he can deal with stress and anxiety but it is all in vain. Moreover, during an assessment with Dr. Klein, Roy tells her that his wife had left him fifteen years ago and she was pregnant. Dr. Klein concludes this could be the cause of Roy’s mental health illness.

Secondary mental health problems

Mental problems result in changing the personality of an individual. The person might exclude themselves from other people thus living a lonely life. Exclusion from other people leads to distress and anxiety in the person's life. More so, the individual starts engaging in risky behaviors which would lead to more problems in their lives. Therefore, the individual develops the OCD which impacts on the person's life. Additionally, the individual does not care for their lives, for example, Roy used to take medication from a person who was selling the drugs illegally without considering the consequences of the drugs to the patients' lives.

The scenario in the movie which led to the conclusion about the mental illness

The case of Roy who also has the Tourette's syndrome makes him be involved in dangerous acts such as being a con. There is an increase in his facial tics and grunts when he sees sunlight. Roy also panics and behaves with anxiety and distress which leads him to smoke. Additionally, the act of acquiring drugs for medication illegally from a doctor in town makes me conclude that he has a mental illness. The symptoms of the disease increase until Frank arranges for Roy to visit a psychiatrist.

If individuals with mental illness could behave as depicted in the movie

Yes, because most people who are mentally ill are mostly lonely and always anxious. The distress which a mentally ill person goes through leads him to get involved in risky actions. For example, Roy smokes most of the time so that he can deal with the stressful conditions which he passes through without knowing that smoking deteriorates his health. Additionally, taking medications without being assessed is risky since it results in addiction and can lead to additional health problems.

How movie prepares the public to deal with the mentally ill individuals

Mental illness in people is a condition which possesses more of the negative behavior than the positive actions. The society can help the mentally ill persons to get medical attention which is beneficial than leaving the person to deal with their conditions. More so, taking the mentally ill individuals for assessment would help in dealing with the state they are in and helping them not to be affected by the negative impacts of distress.

Additionally, the mentally ill person requires to be treated with care. Being concerned with the life of the sick person makes them feel appreciated therefore not hating themselves. The public ensures the individual does not get into wrongful acts. The public can provide that the individual lives in a clean environment where they cannot be exposed to the conditions which would cause more diseases.

In conclusion, the movie "Matchstick Men" has elaborated into details how the mentally ill individuals behave and the risky activities which they engage into. The actions of Roy aids in educating the public on what they can look into when attending to the mentally ill persons. Lastly, Dr. Klein shows the audience that the assessment is needed when visiting the sick minded individuals since it enables one to know the cause of their behavior.