Tag Archive: Mental Health


Ben Whishaw’s madness masterclass

Filed under: Health and fitness, Movies, Parenting — Leave a comment
July 17, 2024

SURGE directed by Aniel Karia (United Kingdom , 2020)

Ben Whishaw confronts himself as Joseph in Surge

If there were an acting class devoted to madness studies then ‘Surge’ would be required viewing.

For ‘madness’ read ‘mental health issues’ although where one ends and the other begins is very much the moot point here.

What this debut feature film does show is how a cocktail of loneliness, alienation and a loss of hope can have devastating effects.

Director Aneil Karia has gone on record to say that he didn’t set out to make a social commentary. However, many, I include myself among them, will see it and wonder why no-one was looking out for Joseph, played with spectacular authenticity by Ben Whishaw.

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GARY LARSON THERAPY

Filed under: Blogging, Humour — Leave a comment
August 6, 2012

Many of these August micro-posts are examples of cartoonists I admire. It would be a crime to omit the great Gary Larson.

His surreal talking animals from The Far Side are really funny but I always have a soft spot for this psychotherapist’s concise summary of his patient’s state of mental health:

psychotherapy

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SUICIDE ISN’T PAINLESS

Filed under: Italy, Poetry — Leave a comment
July 29, 2012

The scene of the suicide- Il Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), Cesena, Italy

Yesterday I saw a suicide victim. I didn’t actually see the woman jump but I passed the scene just minutes after.

She had left her shoes and sunglasses on the wall of Cesena’s old bridge before throwing herself off.

When I drove over,  the traffic was moving very slowly. Standing by the side of the road were a young man in full cycling gear and another woman who was probably on the way to the nearby market. At first I thought they were simply admiring the view but something in their expressions told me they had stopped for some other reason.

When I turned the corner, I saw more people were staring towards the bridge from both sides of the river bank.  I pulled over and saw they were gazing at a motionless figure lying face down on the flat rocks below the bridge. Continue reading →

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