How Ordinary People Represents Mental Illness in American Culture

In 1980, Robert Redford released his dramatic coming of age film that was nominated for 6 Academy Awards and won four, including best picture and best director. Ordinary People is about a family dealing with the death of their son/brother. The film offers many perspectives on mental illnesses and how people deal with them and at the same time explores how our culture views mental illness. The film revolves around Conrad, who is the son of Beth and Calvin. Conrad’s brother died in a boating accident. Conrad, blaming himself, tries to commit suicide and is put in the hospital. Upon his release, his father encourages him to see a doctor and eventually Conrad is on the road to overcome his depression. At the same time, Beth and Calvin have to deal with the death of their first-born son and they both do it different ways. Calvin realizes he has a problem and takes care of it himself while Beth refuses to believe she needs help.  The theme of Ordinary People is mental illness is a problem in America and individuals need to be treated differently in order to fully heal. The film also explores how mental illness is looked upon as a weakness rather than an illness. 

Ordinary People was released in 1980 and as a result of the American culture, the characters were shaped to be ignorant of mental illnesses. During this time period, mental illness was still looked down upon. In 1970’s President Nixon impounded funds for the National Institute of Mental Health. The problem of mental illness was being brought to the light as a result of the lack of services for mentally ill people. The lack of services made mental illness more noticeable and left many unstable people homeless, which got the attention of the media. Although media coverage was present, people weren’t concerned with mental illness and many families treated it as a private matter and didn’t share if they or a loved one were suffering. For example, when a drunken Calvin tells his neighbor his son is seeing a psychiatrist. Although he tells her this, he only did so because he was drunk and tried to say his son was completely fine, it was just a way to blow off steam. When Beth overhears Calvin telling the neighbor about Conrad, she pulls him away and gets very upset for sharing this “private matter” with others. 

The film tries to teach a lesson that mental illness affects people differently so people can understand that different methods work for different people. At first, Conrad doesn’t believe he needs help but decides to go when his father tells him he does need help. Although Conrad is at first against the idea of a therapist, he warms up to it and eventually gets better, but only with the psychiatrist pushing Conrad as hard as he can. There is then Calvin, who realizes he needs help on his own and is very open with the psychiatrist and doesn’t need a lot of pushing. Beth on the other hand refused to listen to her husband and accept she has a problem. As a result, Calvin and Conrad get better while Beth loses her family. The film also tries to relay how tragic mental illness is so people can take it more seriously. An example of this is portrayed through Karen, who was a friend of Conrad’s while she was in the hospital. Karen seemed extremely happy on the outside, but was struggling with mental illness and wasn’t seeing a doctor about it after her release from the hospital. Later in the film, Conrad finds out she tragically killed herself. This is significant because it displays how important it is to get help for the mentally ill. It also shows how even the happiest looking people can be mentally ill and just very good at hiding it. 

Ordinary People also tried to relay the message that people didn’t know how to deal with mental illnesses. There are many characters throughout the film that encounter Conrad while he is struggling with depression, but are at a loss when trying to help him. His friends, grandparents, teammates, and coach have no idea how to help Conrad get better. The movie also has characters like Beth, who thinks a mental illness can be handled without doctors. During one scene, Beth stated to Calvin that problems should be worked out on your own in your own home rather than in front of a doctor. The film displays how uneducated the American People are about mental illnesses. By watching Ordinary People, audiences can get a better understanding of how to deal with mental illness, what to do for a friend and relative, and how to look out for signs of mental illness. 

 All in all, Ordinary People displays a powerful message that mental illness needs to be treated like an illness rather than a weakness. The film tries to show that it shouldn’t be looked down upon and shouldn’t be something to be ashamed of. Ordinary People also help the audience understand mental illness by giving multiple examples of it. Through Beth and Karen the audience can see people who refuse accept help with their mental illness can lose everything. On the other hand, it shows people like Conrad can learn to overcome mental illness by accepting help. It also shows people who accept they have a problem and try to fix it, like Calvin, will see the fastest results. As a result of the film raising awareness about mental illness, it is obvious the minds behind the film are trying to eliminate stereotypes and allow mental illness to be accepted in society.