Running from Crazy: Film Review

Running From Crazy is a film recently released at the Sundance Film Festival. It documents Mariel Hemingway’s exploration of the mental illness that has plagued her family and the suicide that has claimed seven of their lives. Her personal struggles along with the death of family members including her grandfather, famed writer Ernest Hemingway and sister, supermodel/actress Margaux Hemingway leads Mariel to seek answers. Is her family cursed? Or is there hope?

Spoiler alert, there is hope! Through exploration and understanding of her families’ complex history she is able to find her path to acceptance and recovery. She learns to forgive her family for their imperfections and embrace the positive things they stood for. She talks about how important it is for her to reject alcohol in light of her family history of addiction. She explores the importance of nutrition, exercise, and overall wellness in her life and advocates for the incorporation of wellness in mental health treatment.

Photo from the Running from Crazy Facebook Page

Most importantly she learns how important it is to talk about mental illness and suicide. She talks to her daughters about their family history and the anxiety and fear for their well being. She talks to the community about mental illness and suicide prevention and how important it is to be open and willing to ask questions- the questions that are hard and maybe we don’t want to know the answer to because it might be scary. Scary, but important. Those questions and that support might be the lifeline someone needs. We need to bring mental illness out of the shadows. We need to talk about it.

Here at NAMI Utah, we too understand the importance of talking about mental health and fighting stigma. We advocate for access to effective treatment and equality in all aspects of life. We work to provide information and education about mental illness so we and our loved ones are no longer misunderstood. We work to provide networks of support for those impacted by mental illness. We, along with Mariel Hemingway, know that there is hope. For information on NAMI Utah and to find support in your area, click here.

Did you see Running From Crazy? Share your thoughts!