movie review for the beautiful mind

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, a beautiful mind.

Now streaming on:

The Nobel Prize winner John Forbes Nash Jr. still teaches at Princeton, and walks to campus every day. That these commonplace statements nearly brought tears to my eyes suggests the power of "A Beautiful Mind," the story of a man who is one of the greatest mathematicians, and a victim of schizophrenia. Nash's discoveries in game theory have an impact on our lives every day. He also believed for a time that Russians were sending him coded messages on the front page of the New York Times.

"A Beautiful Mind" stars Russell Crowe as Nash, and Jennifer Connelly as his wife, Alicia, who is pregnant with their child when the first symptoms of his disease become apparent. It tells the story of a man whose mind was of enormous service to humanity while at the same time betrayed him with frightening delusions. Crowe brings the character to life by sidestepping sensationalism and building with small behavioral details. He shows a man who descends into madness and then, unexpectedly, regains the ability to function in the academic world. Nash has been compared to Newton, Mendel and Darwin, but was also for many years just a man muttering to himself in the corner.

Director Ron Howard is able to suggest a core of goodness in Nash that inspired his wife and others to stand by him, to keep hope and, in her words in his darkest hour, "to believe that something extraordinary is possible." The movie's Nash begins as a quiet but cocky young man with a West Virginia accent, who gradually turns into a tortured, secretive paranoid who believes he is a spy being trailed by government agents. Crowe, who has an uncanny ability to modify his look to fit a role, always seems convincing as a man who ages 47 years during the film.

The early Nash, seen at Princeton in the late 1940s, calmly tells a scholarship winner "there is not a single seminal idea on either of your papers." When he loses at a game of Go, he explains: "I had the first move. My play was perfect. The game is flawed." He is aware of his impact on others ("I don't much like people and they don't much like me") and recalls that his first-grade teacher said he was "born with two helpings of brain and a half-helping of heart." It is Alicia who helps him find the heart. She is a graduate student when they meet, is attracted to his genius, is touched by his loneliness, is able to accept his idea of courtship when he informs her, "Ritual requires we proceed with a number of platonic activities before we have sex." To the degree that he can be touched, she touches him, although often he seems trapped inside himself; Sylvia Nasar , who wrote the 1998 biography that informs Akiva Goldsman's screenplay, begins her book by quoting Wordsworth about "a man forever voyaging through strange seas of Thought, alone." Nash's schizophrenia takes a literal, visual form. He believes he is being pursued by a federal agent ( Ed Harris ), and imagines himself in chase scenes that seem inspired by 1940s crime movies. He begins to find patterns where no patterns exist. One night he and Alicia stand under the sky and he asks her to name any object, and then connects stars to draw it. Romantic, but it's not so romantic when she discovers his office thickly papered with countless bits torn from newspapers and magazines and connected by frantic lines into imaginary patterns.

The movie traces his treatment by an understanding psychiatrist ( Christopher Plummer ), and his agonizing courses of insulin shock therapy. Medication helps him improve somewhat--but only, of course, when he takes the medication. Eventually newer drugs are more effective, and he begins a tentative re-entry into the academic world at Princeton.

The movie fascinated me about the life of this man, and I sought more information, finding that for many years he was a recluse, wandering the campus, talking to no one, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, paging through piles of newspapers and magazines. And then one day he paid a quite ordinary compliment to a colleague about his daughter, and it was noticed that Nash seemed better.

There is a remarkable scene in the movie when a representative for the Nobel committee ( Austin Pendleton ) comes visiting, and hints that he is being "considered" for the prize. Nash observes that people are usually informed they have won, not that they are being considered: "You came here to find out if I am crazy and would screw everything up if I won." He did win, and did not screw everything up.

The movies have a way of pushing mental illness into corners. It is grotesque, sensational, cute, funny, willful, tragic or perverse. Here it is simply a disease, which renders life almost but not quite impossible for Nash and his wife, before he becomes one of the lucky ones to pull out of the downward spiral.

When he won the Nobel, Nash was asked to write about his life, and he was honest enough to say his recovery is "not entirely a matter of joy." He observes: "Without his 'madness,' Zarathustra would necessarily have been only another of the millions or billions of human individuals who have lived and then been forgotten." Without his madness, would Nash have also lived and then been forgotten? Did his ability to penetrate the most difficult reaches of mathematical thought somehow come with a price attached? The movie does not know and cannot say.

(Note: For Nash's autobiographical statement, go to www.nobel.se/economics/laureates/1994/nash-autobio.html)

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Now playing

Brian Tallerico

Stress Positions

Peter sobczynski.

Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World

Mary & George

Cristina escobar.

Wicked Little Letters

Sheila o'malley.

Food, Inc. 2

Glenn kenny, film credits.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Rated PG-13 For Intense Thematic Material, Sexual Content and A Scene Of Violence

129 minutes

Judd Hirsch as Helinger

Paul Bettany as Charles

Jennifer Connelly as Alicia

Russell Crowe as John Nash

Ed Harris as Parcher

Christopher Plummer as Dr. Rosen

Based On The Book by

• Sylvia Nasar

Directed by

Latest blog posts.

Max’s Award-Winning Hacks Returns with Its Best Season to Date

Death Feels Very Close: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi on Evil Does Not Exist

Speed Kills: On the 25th Anniversary of Go

Joanna Arnow Made Her BDSM Comedy for You

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

FILM REVIEW

FILM REVIEW; From Math To Madness, And Back

By A. O. Scott

• Dec. 21, 2001

IN ''A Beautiful Mind,'' her biography of the mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr., Sylvia Nasar quotes one of his colleagues: ''All mathematicians live in two different worlds. They live in a crystalline world of perfect platonic forms. An ice palace. But they also live in the common world where things are transient, ambiguous, subject to vicissitudes.'' Mr. Nash, whose life is a case study in the difficulty -- and also the wonder -- of living in both, now inhabits a third: the treacle palace of middlebrow Hollywood moviemaking, in which ambiguity is dissolved in reassuring platitudes and freshly harvested tears.

The tears, and the dazzled glow that accompanies them, feel honestly earned. The paradox of Ron Howard's new film, from a script by Akiva Goldsman, is that the story that elicits these genuine emotions is almost entirely counterfeit.

At one point, Alicia Larde (Jennifer Connelly), the M.I.T. student who will marry Nash, breezes into his office, brandishing a proof she has devised for a fiendishly difficult hypothesis. Her professor and future husband looks up from the paper coffee cup he is chewing on and glances at her work. ''It's elegant, but wrong,'' he says, delivering a verdict that could just as well apply to ''A Beautiful Mind.''

Let's work backward, from wrong to elegant. Mr. Nash, now 73, an inordinately gifted, deeply awkward man, possesses one of the most extraordinary mathematical intellects of his generation. By his early 30's, when mental illness overwhelmed his creative powers, he had done important work in a number of fields, including game theory, quantum mechanics and number theory. After three decades of struggle with schizophrenia, he was granted what seemed like a miraculous remission. In 1994 he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in economic science for work he had done as a graduate student at Princeton in the late 1940's.

In outline then Mr. Nash's life has the perfect three-act structure of a screenplay: a sparkling career derailed by adversity and redeemed by a triumph of the spirit. In detail the life, as recounted by Ms. Nasar, a former economics reporter for The New York Times, is a trove of fascinating, troubling information. In a profession whose members have a reputation for oddness, Mr. Nash was a prime number. He was notorious among his colleagues for his antisocial temperament and his predilection for cruel put-downs and dangerous practical jokes.

Before he married Alicia, with whom he had a son named John, he fathered another child, also named John, with a woman named Eleanor Stiers, and abandoned both mother and child to poverty. He formed a number of intense, apparently sexual bonds with other men, and he lost his security clearance and his position at the RAND Corporation after he was arrested for soliciting sex in a men's room in Santa Monica, Calif. When his illness became intractable and his behavior intolerable, Alicia divorced him. (They remarried last June.)

None of this has made it to the screen. Worse, the intellectual and political context that would throw both Mr. Nash's genius and his madness into high relief has been obliterated. ''A Beautiful Mind'' opens with a speech by the fictitious Professor Helinger (Judd Hirsch), declaring that American mathematicians, having played an important part in the defeat of Nazi Germany, must now turn their attention to defeating Soviet Communism.

This scene, and much of the story that follows, egregiously simplifies the tangled, suspicious world of cold war academia. More than a few mathematicians and scientists at the time, including many at M.I.T., where Nash went to teach after Princeton (not, as the film has it, to conduct top-secret defense-related research), were sympathetic to Communism, and many more (including Robert Oppenheimer, whose name is mentioned in passing) were suspected of such sympathies. While Mr. Nash was not among them, he was hardly the intrepid cold warrior depicted by Mr. Howard and Mr. Goldsman. Even at RAND, the Defense Department think tank, he was more interested in pure research than in its application, and in 1960 he tried to renounce his United States citizenship to express his belief in the necessity of world government.

All this, apparently, is too much for audiences to take in: anything that would dilute our sympathy by acquainting us with the vicissitudes of Mr. Nash's real life has been airbrushed away, leaving a portrait of a shy, lovable genius. Of course any movie that traffics in biography must edit, foreshorten, emphasize and condense, but ''A Beautiful Mind'' goes further, becoming a piece of historical revisionism on the order of ''J. F. K.'' or ''Forrest Gump,'' and manifesting a depressing lack of faith in the intelligence of the audience.

How much fidelity do movies owe to the historical figures they purport to be about? This question tends to interest the people who write about movies more than the people who make them. It does not, in any case, seem to have troubled Mr. Howard for a moment. But without stifling the objections noted above -- and without giving credence to the trivializing, anti-intellectual rebuttal that it's only a movie (only, as opposed to what?) -- ''A Beautiful Mind'' deserves to be judged on its own terms. Perhaps, adapting the conventions of mathematical notation, the movie character should be thought of as ''Nash prime'' or Nashi (i referring to an imaginary number). The story of this Nash is not without its beauty.

There is, for one thing, Ms. Connelly, keen and spirited in the underwritten role of a woman who starts out as a math groupie and soon finds herself the helpmeet of a disturbed, difficult man. The rest of the supporting cast members -- including Ed Harris as a government agent, Christopher Plummer as a sinister psychiatrist, Paul Bettany as an English dandy and Josh Lucas as a preening math jock -- almost manage to keep their characters from becoming a parade of ciphers. Roger Deakins's characteristically elegant cinematography turns the postwar Princeton campus into a honey-toned Arcadia.

But above all there is the fierce presence of Mr. Crowe, who refuses every temptation to overact the role set before him. Too often the chance to depict genius or mental disorder is taken, even by gifted actors like Dustin Hoffman (''Rain Man'') and Geoffrey Rush (''Shine''), as a license to show off.

Mr. Crowe, with his superhuman powers of concentration, shows us a man who dwells almost entirely in an inner world, and he dramatizes that inwardness as if nobody were watching. A faint smile plays across Nash's mouth, and his speech is whispery and halting, with a suggestion of the South in its cadences. (Mr. Nash grew up in West Virginia.) As always with Mr. Crowe, you never feel that these are actorly mannerisms; they seem instead to arise from a deep absorption in the logic of the character.

In tackling the problem of how to bring us at least partway into Nash's mind, Mr. Howard has come up with a clever conceit, as simple as it is inspired. Asked why he believed the wild delusions that characterized his illness, Mr. Nash replied that it was because they came to him ''the same way that my mathematical ideas did.'' Rather than spoil the elaborate surprise Mr. Howard has concocted, I will note that he has found an accessible cinematic way to present this insight. (He also finds an entertaining way to convey the content of some of Mr. Nash's mathematical insights; the theory that won him the Nobel is presented as a strategy for picking up women at a student bar.)

The hallucinations that increasingly plague Nash occupy the same reality as everything else. Schizophrenia does not announce itself as such to those it afflicts. Mr. Howard leads us into its infernal reality without posting a sign on the door, and the character's way out of it seems at least metaphorically true to the real Mr. Nash's account of his remission. ''I began to intellectually reject some of the delusionally influenced lines of thinking which had been characteristic of my orientation,'' Mr. Nash wrote in a 1994 autobiographical essay.

Like his real-life counterpart, the movie Nash is impatient with detail-oriented hack work, preferring to search out ''governing dynamics.'' The governing dynamic of ''A Beautiful Mind'' is sentimentality of a familiar and not altogether unwelcome kind. The movie can -- indeed, should -- be intellectually rejected, but you can't quite banish it from your mind.

''A Beautiful Mind'' is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It has some upsetting scenes and mild sexual content.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND

Directed by Ron Howard; written by Akiva Goldsman, based on the book by Sylvia Nasar; director of photography, Roger Deakins; edited by Mike Hill and Dan Hanley; music by James Horner; production designer, Wynn Thomas; produced by Brian Grazer and Mr. Howard; released by Universal Pictures. Running time: 129 minutes. This film is rated PG-13.

WITH: Russell Crowe (John Forbes Nash Jr.), Ed Harris (Parcher), Jennifer Connelly (Alicia Nash), Paul Bettany (Charles), Adam Goldberg (Sol), Judd Hirsch (Helinger), Josh Lucas (Hansen), Anthony Rapp (Bender) and Christopher Plummer (Dr. Rosen).

A Beautiful Mind Review

22 Feb 2002

136 minutes

A Beautiful Mind

Playing the mentally ill has always been a fast-track to critical and Oscar success, and so it proved for Russell Crowe, who bagged a third successive nomination for his performance as mentally-ill maths genius John Nash in Ron Howard's glossy biopic, which won Best Picture in 2002.

Crowe's off-screen contretemps with a Bafta official apparently cost him the chance to follow up on his Gladiator gold and follow in the footsteps of Geoffrey Rush ( Shine ), Daniel Day-Lewis ( My Left Foot ) and Dustin Hoffman ( Rain Man ), but there's no denying that his crowd-pleasing performance is this movie's trump card.

Essentially it's that old chestnut, the inspirational biopic and Howard skilfully yomps us along the well-worn path of early promise (success at sums!), catastrophic downfall (going bonkers!), and a final, emotionally-charged triumph over adversity (winning the Nobel Prize!). The problem is that, even if you haven't read the book on which it's based, you're left with the niggling suspicion that this is all too neat to be anything near the whole story. As indeed turns out to be the case.

Nash's bisexuality, a child out of wedlock and a divorce are all AWOL, while the feel-good ending neatly skips over the horrible, irreparable reality of a professional and personal life effectively ruined by insanity. Of course, any biopic smoothes the edges and has to construct a story out of the messy realities of life, but here there's a sense that the manipulation borders on dishonesty.

None of which is to deny that there are very good things as well. Crowe marshals his tics with showy aplomb, Howard displays his usual facility for smoothly-engineered filmmaking, and Akiva Goldsman's (yup, he of Batman & Robin ) screenplay delivers the necessary dramatic wallop and a craftily shocking reversal.

Support is generally good, especially from Paul Bettany, last seen whooping it up as Geoffrey Chaucer in A Knight's Tale , and the movie's only Oscar-winning performance from Bettany's future missus, Jennifer Connelly, here playing the put-upon and long-suffering Mrs. Nash. But in the end, Howard's film's undoubted effectiveness conceals a disappointingly cynical heart.

Related Articles

Movies | 30 01 2020

Movies | 26 11 2017

Movies | 03 09 2017

Movies | 01 09 2016

Movies | 25 08 2003

Movies | 08 07 2003

Movies | 13 03 2003

Movies | 22 11 2002

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Get the app
• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

Explaining the News to Our Kids

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

A beautiful mind, common sense media reviewers.

Oscar-winning biopic is too intense for tweens.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Main character, who copes with mental illness, is

Tense scenes, including a shoot-out, a child in pe

Includes some crude references.

Some strong language.

Parents need to know the material might be very upsetting for kids, or for anyone who has relatives with mental illness or who knows very little about it. There are some strong scenes of family tension and peril, including a child in jeopardy, scuffles, and potential domestic abuse. There are graphic scenes of shock…

Positive Role Models

Main character, who copes with mental illness, is successful and respected.

Violence & Scariness

Tense scenes, including a shoot-out, a child in peril, and domestic violence.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know the material might be very upsetting for kids, or for anyone who has relatives with mental illness or who knows very little about it. There are some strong scenes of family tension and peril, including a child in jeopardy, scuffles, and potential domestic abuse. There are graphic scenes of shock therapy and self-destructive behavior. A character is in peril involving shooting. There is also some crude language with sexual references. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (8)
• Kids say (26)

Based on 8 parent reviews

One of the most emotional and dramatic pieces of awesomeness I've ever seen! I almost cried!

What's the story.

A man sees what no one else can, and we call him a genius. A man sees what no one else does, and we call him crazy. This Academy Award-winner for Best Picture is about a man who was both. It's the true story of genius John Forbes Nash, Jr., who revolutionized mathematics and struggled with mentally illness. More than 40 years later, as he edged back into sanity, his contribution was recognized by academics in Sweden. They awarded him the Nobel Prize.

Is It Any Good?

This is an extraordinary story, and it has been made into an extraordinary movie. Crowe is, as always, simply magnificent in a role that would provide irresistible temptation for showboating for most actors. There are superb performances by everyone in the cast, including Connelly (an Oscar-winner for Best Supporting Actress), Paul Bettany , Ed Harris , Christopher Plummer , Judd Hirsch , and a dozen others.

What is really special here is the way that screenwriter Akiva Goldman and director Ron Howard have found a way to present both Nash's genius and his mental illness in such compelling, cinematic, and accessible terms. Both in essence become characters in the story as we go inside his head and wonder with Nash what to believe. This is what makes the movie more than a disease-of-the-week special with color-by- numbers "heartwarming" moments of triumph over adversity. This is what makes the movie itself a true work of art.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about mental illness, about how people with mental illness need to be treated, and about what is different now in the way we treat the mentally ill from the days depicted in the movie. Families who want to know more should check the Web site for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

Movie Details

• In theaters : December 21, 2001
• On DVD or streaming : May 27, 2003
• Cast : Ed Harris , Jennifer Connelly , Russell Crowe
• Director : Ron Howard
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Drama
• Run time : 135 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : intense thematic material, sexual content and a scene of violence.
• Last updated : April 26, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

The Insider

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

• DVD & Streaming

A Beautiful Mind

Content caution.

In Theaters

• Russell Crowe as John Nash; Jennifer Connelly as Alicia; Ed Harris as William Parcher; Paul Bettany as Charles Herman; Christopher Plummer as Dr. Rosen; Josh Lucas as Hansen; Judd Hirsch as Professor Helinger

Home Release Date

Distributor.

• Universal Pictures

Movie Review

As a graduate student at Princeton in 1947, math whiz John Nash won’t set foot in a classroom for fear of dulling his creative genius. Instead he spends his time scribbling formulas on windowpanes in search of a truly original and revolutionary idea. Nash isn’t the most popular fellow on campus, which is largely his own fault. He admits, “I’m quite well balanced; I have a chip on both shoulders. I don’t like people much and they don’t like me.” But even if moviegoers don’t exactly like this cold fish at the start, we learn to appreciate his quirky intellect. Apparently, so does William Parcher, an agent with the Department of Defense. After Nash experiences his scientific breakthrough and proves himself an expert code-breaker, Parcher enlists him to scour magazines in search of imbedded Soviet messages to operatives threatening to detonate a nuclear warhead on American soil.

It’s now the early 1950s. Nash courts and marries Alicia, a pretty coed who finds even his unromantic technospeak charming. Unable to share the top-secret activities that occupy his mind, he struggles with the secrets he must keep from her. But things come to a head when dark-clad figures close in on Nash during a speaking engagement. It seems the Russians have found him. Claiming to be a psychiatrist eager to help Nash, a man named Dr. Rosen sedates him and commits him to a psychiatric ward. Rosen tells Alicia that her husband is schizophrenic, and that the people and activities consuming his energy are merely fantastic conspiracy theories and paranoid delusions. Are they? Or is Nash a pawn in an intricate Cold War political plot? Despite these uncertainties, Alicia stands by her man to the very end, proving that a beautiful mind is surpassed only by a devoted heart. In Nash’s own words, “The most important discovery of my life . . . is that only in the mysterious equation of love can any logic and reason be found.”

positive elements: Despite being a drinker and womanizer, Nash’s college roommate, Charles, is a faithful companion and constant source of encouragement. A loving uncle, Charles explains that he accepted custody of his young niece when his sister was killed in a car crash. Nash refutes Adam Smith’s law of governing dynamics, suggesting that a group does not always benefit from each member’s selfish ambition, but that cooperation can yield positive benefits for all involved. Taking control of his thought life, Nash states, “Like a diet of the mind, I choose not to indulge certain appetites,” a great (if unintentional) illustration of 2 Corinthians 10:5. Similarly, Charles tells Nash, “Mathematics won’t lead you to higher truth.” Alicia gives her beau a handkerchief for good luck, to which the ever-logical Nash replies, “I don’t believe in luck, but I do believe in assigning value to things” as he pockets the gift. Nash wants to serve his country as a code-breaker, but worries about how his covert activities might impact his wife and unborn child. Feeling the net tightening around him, he insists that Alicia seek shelter at her mother’s home. She assures the safety of their infant son, but refuses to leave her husband’s side (throughout the ordeal she is patient, loyal, sensitive and nurturing toward Nash). Hansen turns out to be a pretty decent guy when, decades after his rivalry with Nash, he shows mercy by giving the ostracized genius a chance to rejoin the Princeton community.

spiritual content: Alicia concludes “God must be a painter” because He created so many colors. When a colleague sees Nash and invokes the name of Christ in an inappropriate manner, Nash replies glibly that his “savior complex” hasn’t quite aspired to that level.

sexual content: Nash and his buddies are preoccupied with finding willing sexual partners. Right after being introduced to a girl, Nash forgoes even the most basic social graces and asks what it will take for her to sleep with him. It seems to be his style. He later propositions Alicia during a date, saying, “I tend to expedite information flow by being direct. All I really want to do is have intercourse with you as soon as possible.” She’s turned on by his forthrightness and it’s implied that they have sex. After they’re married, Alicia reaches beneath the covers in an unsuccessful attempt to put her husband in the mood. Charles makes a crass sexual remark. Nash’s Nobel Prize-caliber breakthrough occurs as a result of calculating how all of his friends can “get laid” by being “selfless.” The way it works is that they approach one beautiful blond, then bypass her altogether in favor of her four less attractive friends.

violent content: In frustration, Nash bangs his head against a window, cracking the glass and bloodying his forehead. He punches Dr. Rosen. A car chase involving an exchange of gunfire ends with Nash and Parcher’s bullet-riddled pursuers driving into a river. Elsewhere, characters brandish guns in a threatening manner. Newsreel footage shows the devastating power of a nuclear blast. Rosen’s people perform violent shock therapy on Nash. Several people are slapped. Alicia snaps under the stress, hurling a glass against a wall and smashing a mirror. To prove his story and his sanity, Nash gouges his arm to retrieve an implanted security device (lots of blood). There’s an intense scene in which a baby nearly drowns in a bathtub.

crude or profane language: Two dozen profanities include several s-words and 10 misuses of God’s name (five are exclamations of Jesus’ name). At one point, Charles employs crass anatomical slang in a sexual context. A young man uses a derogatory term for Japanese people.

drug and alcohol content: Many characters smoke cigarettes. We meet Charles after he has had a bit too much Johnny Walker (shortly thereafter, the free-spirit offers a flask to Nash and the two share a slug). At a campus bar, guys drink beer on several occasions. Nash and Charles both proclaim a deep “respect for beer.” Champagne is used to toast Nash’s success, and later appears at a formal party. Charles makes a reference to a drunk driving fatality. Dr. Rosen keeps Nash heavily medicated with substances ranging from Thorazine and pills to insulin shocks.

other negative elements: Nash is not an easy protagonist to embrace. In addition to admitting he doesn’t like people, he’s extremely arrogant. He despises having to share face time on a magazine cover with peers he calls “hacks.” As a teacher, he tells sweltering students wishing to let in fresh air and accompanying street noise, “Your comfort comes second to my ability to hear my own voice.” He resents sharing a scholarship with Hansen and belittles the man’s achievements as “derivative.”

conclusion: This is a very well-made, well-acted film guaranteed to get attention at Oscar time. But as taut and beguiling as A Beautiful Mind may be as a political thriller/psychological drama, the film’s themes of marital devotion and one man’s obsessive quest for personal significance left the greatest impression. It’s the kind of movie mature viewers will enjoy discussing long after the lights come up. Unfortunately, it seems any time Hollywood tackles “grown up” subject matter, it feels the need to toss in unnecessary content that can undermine the experience. Here the culprits are language and sexual immorality. Frustrating. Calculating viewers who factor in those variables will likely come to a singular conclusion: A Beautiful Mind is an intriguing, yet imperfect formula for a night out at the movies.

Bob Smithouser

Latest reviews.

We Grown Now

Unsung Hero

Challengers

Weekly reviews straight to your inbox.

Mind Yourself

A Beautiful Mind: A Psychological Review

Ron howard's incredibly successful film handles schizophrenia with a gentle touch..

A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 American biographical drama film that chronicles the life of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician who struggles with schizophrenia. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Ron Howard, Best Adapted Screenplay for Akiva Goldsman, and Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Connelly.

John Nash, the brilliant mathematician at the heart of the movies was marked by exceptional intelligence from a young age. However, this remarkable intellect coexisted with signs of social awkwardness and emotional detachment.

During his school days a teacher said to him, "You were born with two helpings of brain but only a half a one of heart," this very aptly summarized Nash's complex nature, foreshadowing the lifelong struggle he would face in balancing his intellectual gifts with his mental health issues.

The Path to Brilliance and the Descent into Schizophrenia

Nash's journey from brilliant student to Nobel Prize-winning mathematician was punctuated by the onset of schizophrenia. While his academic pursuits flourished at Princeton University, his personal life became increasingly chaotic.

He neglected personal hygiene, struggled to maintain relationships, and exhibited an intense focus on his mathematical work. His apathy towards people, colleagues, and his diminished emotional expressions were early indicators of his deteriorating mental health.

He also suffered hallucinations and delusions and along with diminished emotional expression these are three of the five characteristics required for a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The other two being disorganized speech and catatonic behavior, things he also displayed occasionally in the film.

The Cold War Crucible: A Potential Trigger for Schizophrenia

The film suggests that two elements may have triggered Nash's schizophrenia. These were him attending university and the background of the Cold War.

Things start to go badly for Nash’s mental health when he starts his studies and thanks to his mathematical skills he’s soon ‘recruited’ by the Department of Defence to break Russian codes.

Hallucinations and Delusions: Navigating a Distorted Reality

Nash's schizophrenia manifested in the form of vivid hallucinations and elaborate delusions. He has a nonexistent roommate named Charles who he bickers with but also confides in too. There’s also Charles’ niece Marcee who plays an interesting role in that she asks him tough questions about his life and doesn’t really take any guff from him.

Finally, there’s William Parcher, a character he believes to be a military intelligence officer, and his superior when he is recruited to help the US in its codebreaking operations against Russia.

These recurring figures represented different aspects of Nash's internal conflict, reflecting his fears, insecurities, and desires.

His primary delusion centers on the aforementioned belief that he was a secret agent for the Department of Defense, entrusted with deciphering coded messages in newspapers and magazines to prevent a Soviet attack.

This delusion provided Nash with a sense of purpose and importance, compensating for his feelings of isolation and alienation. It also put in him great mental strife as he imagines he’s hunted and attacked by foes.

A Journey of Resilience and Triumph

Amidst the challenges of schizophrenia, Nash found love and support in his wife, Alicia. Her unwavering devotion and understanding played a crucial role in helping him manage his illness and pursue his academic career.

This devotion is tested though, particularly in a scene where Nash gets into a fight with Charles. Alicia cowers in the bathroom holding their newborn baby and when Nash enters he begins blabbering that he’s the only one that can see Charles because he’s been injected with a cloating serum where only Nash can see him. Alicia cries ‘there’s nobody here, there’s nobody here’.

Despite the debilitating effects of his condition, Nash managed to achieve extraordinary success, earning a Nobel Prize in Economics for his contributions to game theory.

Introducing Society to Schizophrenia

A Beautiful Mind has been widely praised for its sensitive and nuanced portrayal of schizophrenia. The film avoids sensationalizing the condition, instead focusing on the human cost of mental illness and the challenges faced by those living with schizophrenia and their loved ones. It has raised awareness of the disorder and sparked important conversations about the stigma associated with mental health.

The movie is not merely a story about schizophrenia though; it is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It is a reminder that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, individuals can find strength, love, and purpose.

Nash's story teaches us that with determination and support, even those battling debilitating mental illnesses can achieve remarkable success and contribute meaningfully to society.

The film's enduring impact lies in its ability to humanize mental illness, showing that individuals with schizophrenia are not defined by their condition but by their courage, perseverance, and humanity.

Hi, I’m Paddy. Thanks for reading my article. I’m a counselor, coach and meditation teacher.

If you’d like to contact me regarding a counseling session or about writing, you can contact me here . My different social media channels are here .

Ready for more?

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

A Beautiful Mind

• A mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.
• From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash, Jr. experienced it all. A mathematical genius, he made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over his tragedy, and finally - late in life - received the Nobel Prize. — Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures
• At Princeton University, John Nash struggles to make a worthwhile contribution to serve as his legacy to the world of mathematics. He finally makes a revolutionary breakthrough that will eventually earn him the Nobel Prize. After graduate school he turns to teaching, becoming romantically involved with his student Alicia. Meanwhile the government asks his help with breaking Soviet codes, which soon gets him involved in a terrifying conspiracy plot. Nash grows more and more paranoid until a discovery that turns his entire world upside down. Now it is only with Alicia's help that he will be able to recover his mental strength and regain his status as the great mathematician we know him as today. — rmlohner
• John Nash goes through a myriad of highs and lows from his time as a Mathematics student in graduate school at Princeton in the late 1940's to his Nobel Prize win for Economics in 1994. A brilliant but somewhat arrogant and antisocial man, Nash preferred to spend his time with his thoughts, which were primarily of seeing mathematical formula associated with everyday occurrences, than with people. Two people he did make a connection with were Charles, his roommate at Princeton, and Alicia Larde, one of his students when he was teaching at M.I.T. in the early 1950's. He and Alicia eventually marry. As time goes on, Nash lives more and more within himself which causes major problems in his life. But Alicia stands by her husband to his redemption to the Nobel Prize win. Nash learns that his graduate school colleagues, with whom he had a cordial but somewhat distant relationship, are closer friends than he imagined, although in his later life he really does miss Charles' company more than anything despite knowing that spending time with Charles is not in his or anyone's best interest. — Huggo
• John Nash ( Russell Crowe ) arrives at Princeton University as a new graduate student. He is a recipient of the prestigious Carnegie Prize for mathematics. Though he was promised a single room, his roommate Charles ( Paul Bettany ), a literature student, greets him as he moves in and soon becomes his best friend. Nash also meets a group of other promising math and science graduate students, Martin Hansen ( Josh Lucas ), Sol ( Adam Goldberg ), Ainsley ( Jason Gray-Stanford ), and Bender ( Anthony Rapp ), with whom he strikes up an awkward friendship. Nash admits to Charles that he is better with numbers than people, which comes as no surprise to them after watching his largely unsuccessful attempts at conversation with the women at the local bar. Nash is seeking a truly original idea for his thesis paper, and he is under increasing pressure to develop his thesis so he can begin work. A particularly harsh rejection from a woman at the bar is what ultimately inspires his fruitful work in the concept of governing dynamics, a theory in mathematical economics. After the conclusion of Nash's studies as a student at Princeton, he accepts a prestigious appointment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), along with his friends Sol and Bender. Five years later while teaching a class on Calculus at MIT, he places a particularly interesting problem on the chalkboard that he dares his students to solve. When his student Alicia Larde ( Jennifer Connelly ) comes to his office to discuss the problem, the two fall in love and eventually marry. On a return visit to Princeton, Nash runs into his former roommate Charles and meets Charles' young niece Marcee ( Vivien Cardone ), whom he adores. He also encounters a mysterious Department of Defense agent, William Parcher ( Ed Harris ). Nash is invited to a secret United States Department of Defense facility in the Pentagon to crack a complex encryption of an enemy telecommunication. Nash is able to decipher the code mentally to the astonishment of other codebreakers. Parcher observes Nash's performance from above, while partially concealed behind a screen. Parcher gives Nash a new assignment, to look for patterns in magazines and newspapers, ostensibly to thwart a Soviet plot. He must write a report of his findings and place them in a specified mailbox. After being chased by the Russians and an exchange of gunfire, Nash becomes increasingly paranoid and begins to behave erratically. After observing this erratic behavior, Alicia informs a psychiatric hospital. Later, while delivering a guest lecture at Harvard University, Nash realizes that he is being watched by a hostile group of people. Although he attempts to flee, he is forcibly sedated and sent to a psychiatric facility. Nash's internment seemingly confirms his belief that the Soviets were trying to extract information from him. He views the officials of the psychiatric facility as Soviet kidnappers. Alicia, desperate to help her husband, visits the mailbox and retrieves all of the never-opened, "top secret" documents that Nash had delivered there. When confronted with this evidence, Nash is finally convinced that he has been hallucinating. The Department of Defense agent William Parcher and Nash's secret assignment to decode Soviet messages was in fact all a delusion. Even more surprisingly, Nash's friend Charles and his niece Marcee are also only products of Nash's mind. After a painful series of insulin shock therapy sessions, Nash is released on the condition that he agrees to take antipsychotic medication. However, the drugs create negative side-effects that affect his relationship with his wife and, most dramatically, his intellectual capacity. Frustrated, Nash secretly stops taking his medication and hoards his pills, triggering a relapse of his psychosis. While bathing his infant son, Nash becomes distracted and wanders off. Alicia is hanging laundry in the backyard and observes that the back gate is open. She discovers that Nash has turned an abandoned shed in a nearby grove of trees into an office for his work for Parcher. Upon realizing what has happened, Alicia runs into the house to confront Nash and barely saves their child from drowning in the bathtub. When she confronts him, Nash claims that his friend Charles was watching their son. Alicia runs to the phone to call the psychiatric hospital for emergency assistance. Parcher urges Nash to kill his wife, but Nash angrily refuses to do such a thing. After arguing with Parcher, Nash accidentally knocks Alicia to the ground. Afterwards, Alicia flees the house in fear with their child, but Nash steps in front of her car to prevent her from leaving. After a moment, Nash realizes that Marcee is a figment of his hallucinations because she has remained the same age since the day he met her. He tells Alicia, "She never gets old." Only then does he accept that all three people are, in fact, part of his hallucinations. (It is important to note that in real life, Nash suffered from auditory hallucinations and possible delusions, instead of visual hallucinations). Caught between the intellectual paralysis of the antipsychotic drugs and his delusions, Nash and Alicia decide to try to live with his abnormal condition. Nash consciously says goodbye to the three of them forever in his attempts to ignore his hallucinations and not feed his demons. However, he thanks Charles for being his best friend over the years, and says a tearful goodbye to Marcee, stroking her hair and calling her "baby girl," telling them both he wouldn't speak to them anymore. Nash grows older and approaches his old friend and intellectual rival Martin Hansen, now head of the Princeton mathematics department, who grants him permission to work out of the library and audit classes, though the university will not provide him with his own office. Though Nash still suffers from hallucinations and mentions taking newer medications, he is ultimately able to live with and largely ignore his psychotic episodes. He takes his situation in stride and humorously checks to ensure that any new acquaintances are in fact real people, not hallucinations. Nash eventually earns the privilege of teaching again. He is honored by his fellow professors for his achievement in mathematics, and goes on to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for his revolutionary work on game theory. Nash and Alicia are about to leave the auditorium in Stockholm, when John sees Charles, Marcee and Parcher standing and smiling. Alicia asks John, "What's wrong?" John replies, "Nothing." With that, they both leave the auditorium. (Source: WikiPedia. Bangs_McCoy)

Contribute to this page

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More from this title

More to explore.

Recently viewed

• LAW & CRIME
• PUBLIC SAFETY
• ENTERTAINMENT
• ALL STORIES

Movie Critique: Analyzing “A Beautiful Mind” Through A Psychological Lens

When John Nash is first introduced in A Beautiful Mind , he appears to stare off into space, speaks in a monotone voice, and talks to very few people. To the average viewer, this may seem harmless, but to someone viewing the film with a psychological perspective, all of these could point to schizophrenia.

The National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) defines schizophrenia as a “chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves” (“Schizophrenia”). In the film A Beautiful Mind , protagonist John Nash experiences this disorder and its effects firsthand.

The movie portrays Nash at several points throughout his life, from his days in college to a point late in his career. Nash’s symptoms of schizophrenia pose daunting challenges to him in his family and career, but audiences do not fully learn the extent of these challenges until about halfway through the film.

Ultimately, the film does a great job of portraying life through Nash’s perspective, which makes the revelation that Nash has schizophrenia all the more powerful.

The film begins with a college-aged Nash, who is working on a project that will help him advance in his career. He has a strong bond with his roommate Charles, but does not have any other close relationships.

After college, Nash begins working on mathematical research at MIT while also teaching a class there. It is there that he meets Alicia, a student in his class who would later become his wife and strongest supporter.

Around this time, he also begins working secretly with Parcher, who works with the Department of Defense and assigns him projects to crack Russian codes embedded in newspapers. Nash is told that he cannot discuss this top-secret work with anyone, so he keeps it a secret from his wife.

Eventually, it is revealed by Nash’s psychiatrist that Charles, Parcher, and the secret DoD assignments were not real and were only in Nash’s mind. From this point on, the film portrays Nash’s struggles with schizophrenia as they affect his professional and personal life.

As someone who has never seen another portrayal of schizophrenia in popular media, I felt that the movie gave a great overview of the disorder while focusing on Nash’s specific case. Many of the symptoms outlined in the text Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World , as well as in other sources, are seen in the film.

The text states that schizophrenia “touches every facet of the affected person’s life” (Nevid 404) and causes those with the disorder to “become increasingly disengaged from society” (Nevid 404). This is definitely the case with John Nash, as his symptoms are expressed across different parts of his life and become more severe as he grows older.

According to the text, schizophrenia “typically develops during late adolescence or early adulthood” (405). This timeline is appropriate when discussing Nash’s case. When we first meet Nash, he is enrolled in college and is developing a bond with his fictional roommate Charles. Though it is unclear whether Nash had shown symptoms prior to this, Charles’ existence is indicative of one major symptom of schizophrenia that would afflict Nash for the majority of his life.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) defines hallucination as “a person hearing voices, seeing things, or smelling things others can’t perceive” (“What is Schizophrenia?”). In Nash’s case, Charles and other characters in the film are vivid, influential hallucinations that last for long periods of time.

While Charles was heavily present during Nash’s college days, Parcher became a prominent hallucination when Nash began working at MIT. Parcher, who claimed to work for the DoD, assigned Nash to work privately on breaking Russian secret codes hidden in American newspapers or magazines.

During his “work” with Parcher, Nash is involved in a car chase and shootout. He then expresses to Parcher that he does not want to continue with his work, and Parcher tells him he needs to keep working unless he wants the Russians to know his identity.

This makes sense, as the NAMI also expresses that “the voices in the hallucination can be critical or threatening” (“What is Schizophrenia?”). In this case, Parcher is threatening Nash to continue his work or suffer the consequences of Russians coming after him.

Another symptom experienced by Nash, disorganized thinking, is defined by the NAMI as a “struggle to remember things, organize their thoughts or complete tasks” (“What is Schizophrenia?”). This is seen on a regular but minor basis when Nash is in college, as he repeatedly has trouble coming up with a topic for his school research project. However, the more prominent example of disorganized thinking that Nash experiences comes when he is giving a guest lecture at Princeton years after his graduation.

During the lecture, he has trouble making coherent statements and instead trails off mid-sentence. His hallucinations make this worse; when he sees a group of men standing in the back of the room, he feels like they are Russians and are coming after him. He runs out of the lecture hall and across the campus, until he is intercepted by the psychiatrist, who Nash also assumes to be a Russian spy.

After being brought to the treatment facility by the psychiatrist Dr. Rosen, Nash experiences another symptom of schizophrenia: delusions. The NAMI explains that delusions are “false beliefs that don’t change even when the person who holds them is presented with new ideas or facts” (“What is Schizophrenia?”).

Despite being presented with facts about his diagnosis by Dr. Rosen and Alicia, Nash was resistant and reluctant to accept this reality.

Even though he had been enrolled in treatment and been told by Alicia that his hallucinations were not real, Nash still believed that he was being held prisoner by the Russians. He also rationalized his belief in Parcher’s existence, despite Alicia telling him there is no record of anyone by that name working for the DoD, by saying that he would not be listed in any records because he is a secret operative.

Worst of all, he cut open his arm to find the tracking device he believed Parcher implanted in him; when it was not there, he reasoned that someone had removed it, instead of realizing it was never there in the first place.

Before his diagnosis, Nash appeared to have it all together; after all, he appeared to be working for the DoD and was described by Parcher as “the best code breaker [he has] ever seen.” However, after being diagnosed with schizophrenia, the troubles being faced by Nash became much clearer to him, Alicia, and viewers.

The text explains that people with schizophrenia often “fail to function in the expected roles of student, worker, or spouse, and their families and communities grow intolerant of their deviant behavior” (Nevid 404). Once again, this description applies to Nash’s case.

Alicia, who was Nash’s primary caretaker after his release from treatment, reported to a friend that she felt “obligation or guilt over wanting to leave [John]” as well as “rage against John [and] against god.” She was clearly overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for her husband.

These emotions reached a boiling point when Nash tried to give their son a bath. Alicia had stepped out for a moment, and when she returned, the baby was nearly drowning in the water. Nash was not supervising the baby because he believed that Charles was watching him. Alicia then tried to call Dr. Rosen. Nash, at the perceived insistence of Parcher, then pushed her to the ground and away from the phone in response. During this event, Nash’s hallucinations got in the way of his ability to behave appropriately with his son and wife.

When Nash returned to work, he also experienced difficulties typical of people with schizophrenia. Unfortunately, shortly after his return, he became panicked at the sight of Parcher and ran all over campus to get away from him.

Thankfully, he was still allowed to keep his job after this. After this, when he saw his hallucinations, he did his best to avoid them, and even told Charles and Marci that he should not be talking to them anymore. Nash’s symptoms got in the way of his work at first, but fortunately they became gradually less debilitating as his career progressed.

In the end, Nash was able to succeed in his life despite experiencing hallucinations for the majority of his life. He went on to have a long career as a professor at Princeton, and even won a Nobel Prize. His marriage also persevered through the struggles he and Alicia experienced. This film sends hope to people with schizophrenia that it is possible to overcome the challenges the disorder poses in order to achieve their goals.

• Nevid, J. S., Rathus, S. A., & Greene, B. (2014). Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World (9th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Higher Education.
• Schizophrenia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2018, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml
• What is Schizophrenia? (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2018, from https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-conditions/schizophrenia

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Florida man laid off by Disney starts making handcrafted flags in garage

7 Strange Details About Taylor Swift And Karlie Kloss’ Friendship, Including Whether Or Not They’re Still Friends

Sad New Details About The Murder Of Playboy Model Christina Kraft

New Details About Why Emmy Rossum Is Leaving “Shameless”

New Details About Why Emmy Rossum Is Leaving “Shameless” (REPUBLISHED ON YAHOO)

Find Family Movies, Movie Ratings and Movie Reviews

A Beautiful Mind Parent Guide

Based on the tortured life of mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr., director Ron Howard champions the man who teeters on greatness, falls victim to a mental illness and fights back to accept the Nobel Prize in 1994.

Release date January 5, 2002

Run Time: 135 minutes

Get Content Details

The guide to our grades, parent movie review by kerry bennett.

DIRECTOR RON HOWARD delves into the delusional world of paranoid schizophrenia in A Beautiful Mind. Based on the tortured life of mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr., Howard champions the man who teeters on greatness, falls victim to a mental illness and fights back to accept the Nobel Prize in 1994.

Battling his delusions and fears with snippets of humor and a penchant for logic, Nash struggles to bring reason and value to a life haunted by unseen demons and in time learns to trust in the exponential and intuitive power of love.

About author

Kerry Bennett

A beautiful mind parents' guide.

What are some examples of Nash using humor to deal with his illness? Do you think humor can assist in the healing process?

How did Alicia deal with her husband’s schizophrenia? How does her commitment to their marriage affect the way she reacts to her husband’s plight? Do you think her choices affected the outcome of Nash’s illness?

To read Nash’s own brief account of his life’s experiences, go to www.nobel.se/economics/laureates/1994/nash-autobio.html . For a general overview of what schizophrenia is and what symptoms accompany the disease, see www.schizophrenia.com/family/schizintro.html

Related home video titles:

John Travolta stars in Phenomenon , a film about a man who acquires amazing intelligence after an unlikely event on his birthday. Jimmy Stewart’s Harvey is the story of man who sees a six-foot-tall bunny, and how his family deals with his imaginary friend.

Related news about A Beautiful Mind

The Sound of Music Stars Celebrate Long Careers in the Movie Business

{parents:pull_quote}

A BEAUTIFUL MIND

"the darker side of genius".

What You Need To Know:

(BB, C, H, L, VV, S, AA, D, M) Solid moral worldview contains redemptive elements as wife lays her life down in ultimate commitment to her mentally ill husband; some humanist, elitist, “intelligentia” worldview elements typical of many brilliant, top-educated youths – seen in high-mindedness & arrogance; very mild foul language with 2 obscenities & 1 profanity, though several instances of joking about fornication, etc.; a couple violent scenes include protagonist throwing desk through window in rage, a car chase/shoot-out with bad guys & man gets shock therapy treatments; non-offensive bed scene where wife makes sexual advances toward husband, only to be rejected, mild college-boy joking, speculating about fornication & protagonist tries to pick up co-ed in a bar; no nudity depicted; alcohol use & abuse depicted, smoking depicted; and, theme of mental illness portrayed with disturbing scenes of father leaving baby in tub too long, multiple delusions, shock treatments, & mockery by outsiders.

More Detail:

A BEAUTIFUL MIND is the story of John Nash, a Carnegie Scholarship genius who attends Princeton University in 1947. John is, of course, brilliant, but he lacks social graces and comes across as rude, insensitive, arrogant, and independent. He skips classes to pursue his theories in the natural environment, but his disdain for academic expectations does not sit well with his instructors, one of whom tells him that he’ll likely not be recommended for placement in a coveted internship at Wheeler Laboratories.

His roommate, Charles Herman, challenges the “chips on both of John’s shoulders,” and John confesses that a childhood teacher once told him that he had “twice the brain but half the heart” he needed. John does manage to hang around with a smart group of guys, and they pontificate about how important Math is but say that it will never lead one to higher truth. John admits that he wants to go beyond this limitation and make his life count for something.

John’s personality continues to be abrasive, and when he loses a board game, he storms off, saying the game is flawed. He horribly botches an attempt to pick up a coed in a bar, and his friends laugh at him mercilessly. His professor continues to deny him internships and John continues to be frustrated at not finding his great Mathematical, world-changing breakthrough. In anger, John and his roommate crash a dresser through the dorm window, and it shatters in the courtyard below.

Finally, one night in a bar, John sees his friends ogling five coeds, one of which is a blonde. Suddenly, his eyes light up. He tells them that the theorist Adam Smith was wrong – that decisions should not be based solely on what’s right for oneself, but rather for self AND the group. He suggests that, if they all went for the blonde, her friends would be mad, and they’d all leave. Therefore, in order for everyone to have a great date, it would be better to ignore the blonde and flirt with the other four girls. The guys are amazed, and John quickly applies his new theory to complex, real-world scenarios. After much work, his professor acknowledges the brilliance of Nash’s work, and he does make the Wheeler Lab recommendation.

Years later, at the Pentagon, our Dr. John Nash, part-time mathematical scientist/part time professor at M.I.T., is called upon to decode a radio transmission from Russia. His brain is able to quickly break a complex code involving the latitude and longitude routing orders across the borders of the U.S. A few weeks later, William Parcher, of the Department of Defense, approaches John. Parcher takes him to an impressive, secret U.S. lab, where he shows him how a Russian faction called “New Freedom” has been imbedding secret messages in newspapers and magazines. Parcher asks John to become a spy for the U.S. – scanning magazines and decoding the enemy’s secrets. John agrees and consents to having an electronic chip embedded into his forearm. The chip will have a number code that will change weekly, enabling him to get past security checkpoints and make important mail drops.

John is busy decoding and teaching when he meets a gorgeous grad student, Alicia. She goes out with him and makes him look very good at parties. They share a romantic date in a courtyard under the stars. He asks her to think of any shape she wants, and he is then quickly able to point out the shape in the galaxy. They soon fall in love and get married. John continues decoding and making his top-secret mail drops.

One night, however, the drop is compromised, and it results in a scary car chase with Parcher leading them in a shoot-out where the bad guys’ car goes down into the lake. John makes it out, but he is terrified, and he shuts out his wife. Parcher tells him later, “I told you attachments were dangerous.” Soon, John is so fearful he wants to quit. Parcher threatens him, so John sends the now-pregnant Alicia away to her mother’s house.

One day, while John is lecturing at Harvard, he sees his old roommate, Charles Herman, and Charles’ newly adopted young niece. He tells Charles about his trouble with the spy-game-gone-wrong, and Charles accompanies him to his lecture. During the lecture, however, John sees men in dark suits, coming to get him. He runs, and the bad guys chase him down. They tell him they’re psychiatrists, and they give him a shot to subdue him.

At the psychiatric hospital, he sees Charles, and realizes that his faithful old roommate has betrayed him. They are all trying to kill him now. Or are they?

A BEAUTIFUL MIND is incredible on many levels. With typical Ron Howard (BACKDRAFT, APOLLO 13, GRINCH) heart-gripping direction, and with the broad acting skills of Russell Crowe (GLADIATOR), who must age from a college kid to an old man, the film is masterfully presented. Based on the true story of John Nash, this is a cleverly-portrayed, sobering look into the mindsets of the mentally ill.

It is also the story of how all of heaven rallies to bring an individual out of his off-putting, rough-edged personality to be shaped into the image of God’s true purposes. John Nash moves from abrasiveness to gentleness . . . from haughtiness to humility. At the end he says, “I’ve reached a level of honesty that borders on stupidity.”

On another level, Christians will see the insidious nature of mental illness and the delusional “voices” which to many would constitute demonic activity. It is interesting that once John turns from the voices, acknowledges that they are not his own, and refuses to answer them, he begins to find his healing. Similarly, the Psalmist talks about how the entrance of God’s truth brings light and life. In the movie, John’s doctor tells him, “Like all dreams and nightmares, you’ve got to keep feeding them to keep them alive.” John refuses to keep alive the negative, debilitating thought-life that eventually could lead to death.

The most significant aspect of the film was perhaps the incredible, self-sacrificial commitment demonstrated by John’s wife, Alicia, played by the beautiful Jennifer Connelly. In a day where many, if not most, wives would have crumbled under the weight of caring for a mentally ill spouse, Alicia takes up “her cross” and supports her husband – truly through thick and thin, for better and worse. At the end, John’s Nobel Prize speech is laden with praise for such a faithful companion who persevered under unfathomable trials. He ends with, “Only in the mysterious equation of love can the logical be found.”

The only negatives in the film were the few sexual references and the disturbing portrayal of mental illness. The middle of the film felt a bit tedious and nerve-wracking, but the ending delivers a fine payoff. This movie will likely give great hope and help to those suffering from mental, spiritual and even academic challenges.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.

• Previous Article
• Next Article

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

Faculty perspective, movie review: a beautiful mind.

• Split-Screen
• Article contents
• Figures & tables
• Supplementary Data
• Peer Review
• Open the PDF for in another window
• Guest Access
• Get Permissions
• Cite Icon Cite
• Search Site

Megan Thacker , Caitlin Hughes; Movie Review: A Beautiful Mind. Mental Health Clinician 1 February 2013; 2 (8): 246–247. doi: https://doi.org/10.9740/mhc.n132978

Download citation file:

• Ris (Zotero)
• Reference Manager

A Beautiful Mind is a powerful account of the life of Nobel Prize winner and mathematician John Nash. The movie depicts Nash's journey through life with schizophrenia. Nash displays many characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations, delusions, fear of persecution, and lack of interpersonal relationships. In the beginning of the movie, Nash is an introverted, focused young man searching for the perfect original idea as a graduate student at Princeton's competitive math department. Even then it is apparent that Nash is different from his colleagues; he does not follow social cues and therefore does not have many interpersonal relationships. His main social connection is his roommate, Charles, who becomes his best friend. He develops a “game theory,” contradicting 150 years of economic theory. This theory gains him a position at MIT. Through this position he meets and marries, Alicia, a graduate student who falls for Nash despite his social ineptness. As time progresses, Alicia watches Nash slowly distance himself from the real world as he works with Agent Parcher from the CIA who has recruited him to break codes. Eventually it becomes apparent that Nash requires psychiatric care, and Alicia discovers that her husband suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. Nash learns that not only is Agent Parcher a hallucination, but Charles and Charles's niece, whom he has maintained a close relationship with, are also hallucinations. After his institutionalization, Nash becomes very withdrawn from society, not venturing outside his house and is cared for primarily by his wife. This movie does an excellent job in highlighting the burden a psychiatric illness can put on loved ones. Alicia feels a burden in having to care for Nash as well as their newborn son, and is understandably despondent over the fact that Nash is not the man she married anymore. Nash finds that he does not have his same thinking abilities with taking the medication, so he, like many other patients with schizophrenia, secretly stops taking his medication. The seriousness of the matter becomes apparent to his wife when she finds his shed full of newspaper clippings after allowing Nash to give their son a bath. Nash believes that Charles is watching his son, and if it were not for his wife, his son would have drowned. Nash and his wife agree that they would try and work things out without the medication; that if Nash knew what was real and what wasn't, he could function in the real world. Nash slowly reintegrates himself into the academic community. He slowly returns to teaching and research and in 1994, he receives the Nobel Prize in economics.

The film A Beautiful Mind is based on the life of American mathematician, John Nash. The film won four Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director (Ron Howard), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly). John Nash was played by Russell Crowe who received a nomination for Best Actor. The movie focuses on Nash's struggle with paranoid schizophrenia during the 1940s and 1950s. While the movie takes a few dramatic liberties with its depiction of schizophrenia, it also provides a fairly accurate portrayal of the disease. For example, symptoms typically begin in early adulthood for males and often involve a significant stressor, such as beginning graduate courses at Princeton University. The film brings Nash's paranoid delusions to life through the character of William Parcher, a fictional agent for the United States Department of Defense. Nash becomes fixated on his missions, which ultimately leads to hospitalization and psychiatric treatment. The psychosocial consequences the illness has on Nash's career and family are also reality for many patients suffering from severe mental illness. The film highlights another important component of mental health treatment; medication adverse effects. Nash begins treatment with an antipsychotic medication and experiences sedation and sexual dysfunction. He complains he is unable to think clearly and develop new areas for research, which causes him to self-discontinue his medication. After some time off the antipsychotic, his delusions return and he decompensates. This scenario is an excellent teaching opportunity for pharmacy students and conveys the realistic struggle with medication adherence in this patient population. While the film does an impressive job with communicating many common components of paranoid schizophrenia, there are a few inaccuracies or dramatizations. For example, the film depicts Nash's hallucinations as complex visual hallucinations, which is uncommon and most often reported as auditory hallucinations (hearing voices). When using A Beautiful Mind as an educational tool, it is important to identify how positive symptoms of schizophrenia typically present. Overall, this film is a worthy teaching strategy that will augment traditional methods of conveying the realities of severe mental illness to students.

Recipient(s) will receive an email with a link to 'Movie Review: A Beautiful Mind' and will not need an account to access the content.

Subject: Movie Review: A Beautiful Mind

(Optional message may have a maximum of 1000 characters.)

Citing articles via

Get email alerts.

• Advertising
• Permissions

Affiliations

• eISSN 2168-9709
• Privacy Policy
• Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Challengers Link to Challengers
• I Saw the TV Glow Link to I Saw the TV Glow
• Música Link to Música

New TV Tonight

• Shardlake: Season 1
• Hacks: Season 3
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz: Season 1
• The Veil: Season 1
• A Man in Full: Season 1
• Acapulco: Season 3
• Welcome to Wrexham: Season 3
• John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA: Season 1
• Star Wars: Tales of the Empire: Season 1
• My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman: Season 4.2

Most Popular TV on RT

• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• Fallout: Season 1
• Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1
• Shōgun: Season 1
• The Sympathizer: Season 1
• Them: Season 2
• Ripley: Season 1
• Knuckles: Season 1
• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• Sugar: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1 Link to Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Rotten Tomatoes’ 300 Best Movies of All Time

Best Horror Movies of 2024 Ranked – New Scary Movies to Watch

Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Weekend Box Office Results: Challengers Takes the Crown

The Most Anticipated Movies of 2024

• Trending on RT
• The Fall Guy
• Challengers
• The Idea of You
• Play Movie Trivia

The Beautiful Mind Reviews

No All Critics reviews for The Beautiful Mind.

A Beautiful Mind Essay

Introduction.

Directed by Ron Howard, A Beautiful Mind is an inspiring American movie, which explores the story of a successful young Mathematician, John Nash. In the story, Nash tries to find an original idea while in a graduate school where he interacts with many people most of whom he does not like.

He later gets a high profile job where he falls in love with Alicia whom he later marries. Nash begins to have a problem of paranoia and he later discovers that he is suffering from Schizophrenia. He tries to cope with his medical condition. At one point, he attempts to pluck out an implant in his arm. At another instance, he refuses to take medicine because he claims that the medicine has side effects.

This condition brings suffering in Nash’s life as he watches in pain how much his condition burdens his wife as well as his friends. The rest of the movie talks about Nash’s abilities and achievements as he tries to overcome his condition while he brings out his genius self. By using the events in Nash’s life and his condition, the movie accurately depicts schizophrenia, which will be the major subject of interest in the review of this movie.

Schizophrenia is a mind disorder in which the sufferer experiences periods of hallucinations and delusions. The movie successfully manages to create global awareness about Schizophrenia, a mental illness, which people had hitherto considered a mystery. The movie effectively underscores different issues about Schizophrenia including what happens in the sufferer’s mind by handling it as one of the major themes.

Nasar argues that the decision of Howard to showcase Nash as a sufferer of Schizophrenia who is able to overcome this mental disorder is quite admirable since besides encouraging the sufferers of this mental illness, he also overshadows the world wide myths about this condition (1998, p.78) .

The film shows how Nash suffers from his childhood, gradually learns to overcome this condition and manages to bring out his genius self as a mathematician. According to Goldsman, the hallucinations and delusions experienced by Nash as this condition plagues him from his childhood is an attempt by Psychiatrists to guide and educate people about the symptoms of this mental illness ( 2002, p.52).

Like Nash, everyone, if not most of the people suffering from Schizophrenia are bound to experience hallucinations and delusions. The violent nature of Nash that causes his wife to flee with her baby in fear of her security further shows that choleric is another symptom of Schizophrenia. There may however be small variations in the intensity these symptoms amongst the sufferers.

After undergoing insulin therapy, the Physician gives Nash antipsychotic drugs that after taking part of the dose he experiences damaging fallouts that sever emotional and sexual links with his wife. This prompts him to stop taking the drugs, which affects his intellect. By painting this picture of Nash, the director tries to create awareness about the side effects of schizophrenia medication. On the other side, many myths exist in the public domain about this condition.

One such myth asserts that schizophrenics exhibit two or more personalities. For instance, Nash assumes one personality as a sufferer of Schizophrenia and the other as a genius in mathematics who wins Nobel prizes.

A Beautiful Mind is one of the movies that have successfully endeavored to create worldwide awareness about Schizophrenia, a mental illness that causes hallucinations and delusions. The movie, through the main character manages to inform its audience that despite being in this condition, the sufferers can overcome it and live up to their expectations.

Goldman , A. (2002). A Beautiful Mind: The Shooting Script. New York: Newmarket Press. Print.

Nasar, Sylvia. (1998). A Beautiful Mind. New York: Touchstone Books. Print.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, February 28). A Beautiful Mind. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-beautiful-mind-movie-review/

"A Beautiful Mind." IvyPanda , 28 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/a-beautiful-mind-movie-review/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'A Beautiful Mind'. 28 February.

IvyPanda . 2024. "A Beautiful Mind." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-beautiful-mind-movie-review/.

1. IvyPanda . "A Beautiful Mind." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-beautiful-mind-movie-review/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "A Beautiful Mind." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-beautiful-mind-movie-review/.

• “A Beautiful Mind” Directed by Ron Howard
• Nash Equilibrium Challenge
• John Nash's Drama in "A Beautiful Mind" Film
• Schizophrenia Explained by "A Beautiful Mind"
• Paranoid Schizophrenia in "A Beautiful Mind"
• Paranoid Schizophrenia in "A Beautiful Mind" Movie
• Schizophrenia in 'A Beautiful Mind' Film
• A Beautiful Mind: Genius and Madness at Work
• Intelligent Agents for E-markets: Nash Equilibrium
• The Movie "A Beautiful Mind" and Display of Schizophrenia
• Feminism in Roger and Dodger Film
• The Business of Being Born
• How the Movie, “Trading Places” Has Influenced Me
• Aging in Society and Community
• Fight Club - Analysis of Consumerism

'Challengers' as sexy as a tennis movie can be

In beautiful and brutal sports drama, zendaya portrays a coach playing sophisticated games with her two charismatic suitors..

Pursued by both Art (Mike Faist, left) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor), Tashi (Zendaya) lures both into a makeout session in “Challengers.”

Amazon MGM Studios

The sweat-drenched and emotionally bruising “Challengers” from director Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me by Your Name”) joins the likes of “King Richard,” “Wimbledon,” “Final Set” and “Battle of the Sexes” as one of the best tennis movies ever. And it’s the game-set-and-match winner as the sexiest tennis film to scorch the big screen, thanks in large part to the Ménage a Tennis trio of Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, with Zendaya handling a layered role with cool aplomb, while O’Connor and Faist exude old-fashioned movie star charisma. The sex scenes aren’t all that explicit, and on two occasions, intimate and heated encounters are actually interrupted — but that just adds to the tension.

It’s the focus on the desire to excel that makes “Challengers” so compelling. It’s as much about the desire to compete, to be on top, as it is about the thrill of victory. (To paraphrase one character: We’re talking about tennis, right? Even when we’re not.)

With a timeline that rocks back and forth with the head-swiveling velocity of a top-tier tennis match, “Challengers” is set against the backdrop of a 2019 ATP Challenger Tour event, i.e., a second-level tournament sponsored by a local tire company and offering relatively modest cash prizes.

At 33, the blond, endorsement-friendly and robotically excellent Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), who is a U.S. Open victory away from a career Grand Slam, has lost his swagger and is at a career crossroads. Art’s wife and coach, the passionate but also coldly calculating Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), enters Art in this minor event so he can regain his confidence, and it should be a cakewalk to the championship. But things get interesting, and oh so complicated, when it turns out Art’s estranged best friend (and Tashi’s onetime lover), one Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), has entered the tournament and is on a collision course to face Art in the finals.

• Review of ‘Dune: Part Two,’ starring Zendaya

There was a time when Patrick was considered Art’s equal or better in terms of raw talent, but he’s spent most of the last decade wallowing in a pool of partying and self-pitying, to the point where he’s sleeping in his car, and he uses hookup apps as a way of finding a place to stay for a night or two. Still, Patrick’s mere presence stirs up a complex cocktail of emotions for Art and Tashi — and let’s cue those flashback sequences to fill in the blanks.

• Review of ‘West Side Story,’ starring Mike Faist

It’s the summer of 2006. Art and Patrick are the U.S. Open junior doubles champions known by the cringey moniker of “Fire and Ice,” and from the moment they first see Tashi dominating on the court with awesome, animalistic ferocity, they’re obsessed with her . After a Gatsby-level party where the boys trip over themselves to gain Tashi’s affections, she stuns them by showing up at their hotel room later that night, coaxes them into a three-way make-out session — and then makes her exit, saying she doesn’t want to be a “homewrecker.” This Tashi, she’s a clever and perceptive one. Manipulative as well.

Patrick and Tashi start seeing each other. Tashi puts her professional career on hold to take a scholarship and play for Stanford, where she sustains a horrific, career-ending injury. Art keeps hanging around, playing the long game, waiting for Patrick to blow up his relationship with Tashi, which he does, in spectacular fashion.

Cut to some 13 years later, and that Challengers match, and as was the case back in the day, it appears as if Tashi will side with whoever wins the match between Art and Patrick, even though she’s married to Art and has a daughter with him. It’s borderline ludicrous, like a tennis version of the love triangle in “Bull Durham,” but we come to see that for all of Tashi’s tennis acumen and sophistication, she has never truly gotten over her injury and hates the idea of settling into a comfortable life with a retired Art. She wants to ride with a competitor, with a WINNER.

As for the former Fire and Ice duo, what with all the voracious consumption of hot dogs and bananas and churros, not to mention a steam room confrontation between the two, even when they’re at each other’s throats, the homoerotic connection is always present and never subtle. There’s no doubt Art and Patrick have long been in love with Tashi, but they’ve loved each other on some level for an even longer amount of time. (The camera often lingers on the sinewy, graceful physiques of all three leads.)

With a biting and beautifully dense screenplay from Justin Kuritzkes, gorgeous cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom and music by the iconic duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross capturing the electric heartbeat of the movie, “Challengers” fills every inch of its 131-minute running time with memorable sights and sounds. It’s outrageous and beautiful and brutal and exhilarating.

“Where is Anne Frank?” (2024) Review – A Beautiful and Frustrating Movie

“where is anne frank” plot summary.

“Where is Anne Frank?” starts with a preface about who Anne Frank is and the context for her diary today. Most kids learn about Anne Frank through the assigned reading of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” a firsthand account of a child during the Nazi occupation. Written and directed by Ari Folman (the acclaimed filmmaker behind 2008’s animated documentary “Waltz with Bashir”), “Where is Anne Frank?” makes the same case of enlightening children and their families about the Holocaust. While the animation is gorgeous, the resulting narrative can be muddled and deter the film’s message. 

“Where is Anne Frank?” tells two stories to captivate and educate audiences. The first bold and controversial choice is telling part of Anne’s story through her imaginative friend, Kitty (Ruby Stokes), a young girl who has come to life through Anne’s diary. Kitty is trapped in present-day Amsterdam, trying to search for her old friend, Anne (Emily Carey). 

Through Kitty’s memories and Anne’s own diary, we see flashbacks of Anne talking to Kitty and Anne’s family and freedom slowly succumbing to fear and restraint in Nazi-occupied Germany. Meanwhile, Kitty materializes and can be seen by other people when she leaves Frank’s house. She befriends a boy named Peter (Ralph Prosser), who understands that she’s truly Anne’s imaginary friend, and he tries to show her what happened to Anne Frank while conveying that discrimination and hate still exist. Kitty must cope with current discrimination, the loss of her friend, and how to honor her memory.

“Where is Anne Frank?” is as fascinating as it is frustrating. It can deliver a powerful message for children, but it also strangely simplifies the causes and solution to historic discrimination. The soundtrack and visuals are lush and captivating for any audience member, yet by focusing on the fictional Kitty, the story unravels in confusing and possibly offensive ways. Kids love magical realism, but it’s difficult to determine if the true story about a young girl experiencing the Holocaust is appropriate for magical realism. “Where is Anne Frank?” should be asking more questions about the framing of the story and why.

Content Information

“Where is Anne Frank?” is not rated, but includes mature discussions about anti-semitism, death, sex, genocide, and war. 

Other Noteworthy Information

• Writer and director Ari Folman’s parents are Holocaust survivors. 

“Where is Anne Frank?” General Information

Character descriptions.

Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.

Kitty (Ruby Stokes)

Kitty is Anne’s imaginary friend who longs to be real. She’s inquisitive and brave, but when she has a chance at an actual life, she’s hurt by what she learns about people. 

• The actor is also known for their role in “The Burning Girls.”

Anne Frank (Emily Carey)

Anne is a typical teen girl with fantasies, crushes, and a teasing relationship with her sister. But when Nazis start to take away Jewish people’s rights, Anne has to grow up fast.

• The actor is also known for their role in “House of the Dragon.”

Peter (Ralph Prosser)

Peter is one of the people who believes and wants to help Kitty. As someone who has faced his fair share of discrimination, Peter has only had himself to depend on.

• The actor is also known for their role in “.”

“Where is Anne Frank?” Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

Let us know your thoughts in the comments:

•  What did you think of “Where is Anne Frank?” How did it handle the sensitive material? Would you show this to a child? 

Lush Animation Creates Mesmerizing Magic

Director Ari Folman sticks with classic 2D animation to illustrate the dreams, fantasies, and world of Anne Frank and Kitty. But every scene feels captivating, lively, and filled with secrets in every frame. Stills do not do justice to the lush animation conveyed in “Where is Anne Frank?” Viewers may be confused by the story but are immediately entranced by the animated world of “Where is Anne Frank?”

On The Fence

Whose story is this.

“Where is Anne Frank?” tries to balance telling Frank’s story through the eyes of her imaginary friend, Kitty, while also telling a present-day story through the eyes of Kitty. The framing device is intriguing, but gets muddled when we start seeing Anne Frank’s memories or Kitty’s fantasies. In the middle of an argument about why Kitty is a redhead, Anne claims she’s confused because she made Kitty up. I’m equally confused. What works as a poetic short story suffers from convoluted twisting when trying to show flashbacks and, today, fact and fiction. 

Magical Realism of the Holocaust

“Where is Anne Frank?” may be a more accessible reimagining of Frank’s diary, and it may just educate a viewer who knows nothing. But it also comes at the cost of details that harm knowledge about actual tragedies. The end of “Where is Anne Frank?” is shockingly simple with national trauma and traumatic with what was supposed to be its simple B-story. Are people invested in Kitty’s love story or how she came to be? Are they more interested in that than the story of Frank? The movie tries to have it both ways and claims all we need is a passionate speech to treat each other equally. All of it feels well-intentioned but has bad results.

Good If You Like

• More mature animated films and stories about Anne Frank.

Recommendations

If you like this movie, we recommend:

• The Book Thief
• Oppenheimer

Check out our movies page for our latest movie reviews and recommendations.

The post “Where is Anne Frank?” (2024) Review – A Beautiful and Frustrating Movie first appeared on Wherever I Look and is written by Austin Estrada .

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Book Reviews

• LISTEN & FOLLOW
• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Amazon Music

Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed.

This collection may be the closest we'll ever come to a Dickinson autobiography

Maureen Corrigan

A new collection of Emily Dickinson's letters has been published by Harvard's Belknap Press, edited by Dickinson scholars Cristanne Miller and Domhnall Mitchell. Three Lions/Getty Images hide caption

A new collection of Emily Dickinson's letters has been published by Harvard's Belknap Press, edited by Dickinson scholars Cristanne Miller and Domhnall Mitchell.

Among the Great Moments in Literary History I wish I could've witnessed is that day, sometime after May 15, 1886, when Lavinia Dickinson entered the bedroom of her newly deceased older sister and began opening drawers.

Out sprang poems, almost 1,800 of them. Given that Emily Dickinson had only published a handful of poems during her lifetime, this discovery was a shock.

" 'Hope' is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul," begins one of those now-famous poems. Whatever Dickinson hoped for her poems, she could never have envisioned how they'd resonate with readers; nor how curious those readers would be about her life, much of it spent within her father's house in Amherst, Mass., and, in later years, within that bedroom.

Every so often, the reading public's image of Emily Dickinson shifts: For much of the 20th century, she was a fey Stevie Nicks-type figure — check out, for instance, the 1976 film of Julie Harris' lauded one-woman show, The Belle of Amherst .

A feminist Emily Dickinson emerged during the Second Women's Movement, when poems like "I'm 'wife' " were celebrated for their avant garde anger. And, jumping to the present, a new monumental volume of Dickinson's letters — the first in more than 60 years — gives us an engaged Emily Dickinson; a woman in conversation with the world, through gossip, as well as remarks about books, politics and the signal events of her age, particularly the Civil War.

The Letters of Emily Dickinson, by Emily Dickinson, edited by Cristanne Miller and Domhnall Mitchell Harvard's Belknap Press hide caption

The Letters of Emily Dickinson, by Emily Dickinson, edited by Cristanne Miller and Domhnall Mitchell

This new collection of The Letters of Emily Dickinson is published by Harvard's Belknap Press and edited by two Dickinson scholars, Cristanne Miller and Domhnall Mitchell. To accurately date some of Dickinson's letters, they've studied weather reports and seasonal blooming and harvest cycles in 19th century Amherst. They've also added some 300 previously uncollected letters to this volume for a grand total of 1,304 letters.

The result is that The Letters of Emily Dickinson reads like the closest thing we'll probably ever have to an intimate autobiography of the poet. The first letter here is written by an 11-year-old Dickinson to her brother Austin, away at school. It's a breathless, kid-sister-marvel of run-on sentences about yellow hens and a "skonk" and poor "Cousin Zebina [who] had a fit the other day and bit his tongue ..."

The final letter, by an ailing 55-year-old Dickinson — most likely the last she wrote before falling unconscious on May 13, 1886 — was to her cousins Louisa and Frances Norcross. It reads:

Never Mind The White Dress, Turns Out Emily Dickinson Had A Green Thumb

Little Cousins,  "Called back."  Emily. 

In between is a life filled with visitors, chores and recipes for doughnuts and coconut cakes. There's mention of the racist minstrel stereotype Jim Crow, as well as of public figures like Florence Nightingale and Walt Whitman. There are also allusions to the death toll of the ongoing Civil War.

Dickinson's loyal dog Carlo walks with her, and frogs and even flies keep her company. Indeed, in an 1859 letter about one such winged companion, Belle of Amherst charm alternates with cold-blooded callousness. Dickinson writes to her cousin Louisa:

Movie Interviews

Film celebrates emily dickinson's poetry and 'quiet passion'.

I enjoy much with a fly, during sister's absence, not one of your blue monsters, but a timid creature, that hops from pane to pane of her white house, so very cheerfully, and hums and thrums, a sort of speck piano. ...  I'll kill him the day [Lavinia] comes [home], for I shan't need him any more ..."  

Dickinson's singular voice comes into its own in the letters of the 1860s, which often blur into poems: cryptic, comic and charged with Awe. A simple thank-you note to her soul mate and beloved sister-in-law, Susan Gilbert Dickinson, reads:

Pop Culture Happy Hour

You don't know 'dickinson'.

Dear Sue,   The Supper was delicate and strange. I ate it with compunction as I would eat a Vision.

There are 1,304 letters, and, still, they're not enough. Scholars estimate that we only have about one-tenth of the letters Dickinson ever wrote. And, on that momentous day in 1886, Lavinia entered her sister's bedroom to find and successfully burn all the letters Dickinson herself had received from others during her lifetime. Such was the custom of the day. Which makes this new volume of Dickinson's letters feel like both an intrusion and an outwitting of the silence of death — something I want to believe Dickinson would have relished.

• Emily Dickinson

Evil Does Not Exist is an eerie, modern-day fable by Oscar-winning director Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Eerie and entrancing in equal measure, this contemporary sylvan fable from Ryusuke Hamaguchi is one of the most deceptively beautiful movies of the year so far.

Its glacial, near-wordless opening act documents the routines of Takumi (Hitoshi Omika), a widower keenly attuned to a lifestyle of quiet subsistence. In the icy mountains surrounding Mizubiki (a fictional Japanese village that's driving distance from Tokyo), Takumi spends his days chopping wood for his hearth and gathering crystalline spring water for the local udon shop.

Hamaguchi's depiction of this picture-book idyll gently unravels: first, with the distant gunshots of unseen deer hunters; second, with the realisation that Takumi's forgotten to pick up his daughter Hana (Ryo Nishikawa) from school again.

The film's story soon comes into focus with the announcement of a more pressing existential threat: the creation of a glamping site in Mizubiki for nearby city-slickers.

While the set-up suggests a familiar David-versus-Goliath battle across city lines and class divisions, the resulting social drama fractures into a series of unexpected, increasingly precarious turns – all culminating in a disquieting finale that evades straightforward interpretation.

At the centre of Evil Does Not Exist is an extended community meeting between the village's inhabitants and two representatives of the proposed development, Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani; Happy Hour) and Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka). In a brief dig at showbiz, it's revealed that both are employees of a talent agency whose boss is looking to cash in on a pandemic subsidy; needless to say, they're in embarrassingly over their heads.

Ryusuke Hamaguchi's films share a keenly observational quality. His previous feature, Drive My Car (which took home best international feature film in 2022 and earned the very first best picture nomination for a Japanese film among its four Oscar nominations), follows another quietly grieving widower who directs a production of Uncle Vanya.

The auditions and rehearsals in the film are played out with a documentary-like attention to procedure that often recalled Louis Malle's recording of Vanya on 42nd Street.

The community meeting in Evil Does Not Exist has a similar effect in its unfussy filming, which employs longer takes and minimal camera movement — though the spectacle of Mizubiki's inhabitants excoriating the agency's ill-conceived plans crosses over into cringe comedy.

Beyond the inherent contradiction of conducting a serious dialogue about glamping – a deeply unattractive portmanteau with no Japanese equivalent – the session sees arguments erupt over fire risks, promises of boosting the local economy, and the amount of sewage that should be allowed to pollute a town's fresh water supply.

While there's more than a tinge of schadenfreude to the near-ritualistic humiliation of the representatives, it's undercut by a disheartening inevitability. Impassioned pleas are stonewalled by feeble pledges to take feedback on board; the conversation is all but a formality.

The film isn't unsympathetic to Mayuzumi and Takahashi, though, whose actions drive the film's second half. Hamaguchi understands that his audience's perspective (as well as his own) is better reflected by the hapless urbanite reps than a self-sufficient survivalist like Takumi.

Evil Does Not Exist can be funny in the director's signature offhand manner – a quality evoked from the title itself – and its commentary is made stronger by his resistance to caricature. Even its most overt antagonist, a team project leader fluent in corporate speak who's glimpsed calling into a Google Hangout from his car, is presented with a scathing accuracy.

As the film progresses, concerns over the immediate threat posed by the agency are eclipsed by a troubled reflection on Mizubiki's delicate ecosystem. The camera lingers on the mountain's suffocating vastness, its rotting animal corpses and its piercing thorns, lacing the lush imagery with a subtle but unmistakeable menace; the methodical pacing gradually oozes with dread.

Evil Does Not Exist was initially conceived as a visual accompaniment to a live performance by musician Eiko Ishibashi so, unsurprisingly, her music is intrinsic to the film's uniquely haunting tone. Initially recalling the sonorous string compositions of Max Richter, the score descends into jarring dissonance and incorporates sparse electronic sounds. Just as important to the score is the film's sudden, razor-sharp cuts, which mercilessly disrupt its lull.

At times, the film recalls The Curse, Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie's recent Paramount+ miniseries. Despite being completely different in tone, both narratives of class warfare, guilt and a perversion of the natural world are approached with a refreshing strangeness. Such themes have become rocket fuel for the recent cultural landscape, yet rarely is this material allowed to feel genuinely, menacingly abstract.

It's hard to imagine that Evil Does Not Exist will attain the status of Hamaguchi's previous Oscar darling film – which is precisely what makes the film so exciting. It's a daring creative pivot that spells out a rich future for the director.

But for all its surprises and enigmas, it's not an inaccessible film. Audiences who let themselves submit to its irresistible, hypnotic rhythms will be rewarded by a film that inspires genuine contemplation, however troubling its conclusions may be.

Evil Does Not Exist is in cinemas now.

• X (formerly Twitter)

Related Stories

New sexy tennis film challengers a 'libidinous spectacle' and 'unabashed pleasure'.

When Saigon fell in 1975, Vietnamese movie star Kieu Chinh began calling her famous friends

Late Night with the Devil invites a demon onto a 70s talk show, with disastrous consequences

• Arts, Culture and Entertainment
• Film (Arts and Entertainment)