Mental Health Awareness Month: Films to Watch in May

The month of May officially marks Mental Health Awareness Month This means that recognizing these issues and the people who grapple with them is crucial. To understand the impact of these conditions, here are some films that highlight particular mental health issues. 

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a 2012 coming-of-age film that follows 15-year-old Charlie, an introverted high school freshman. Charlie quickly befriends seniors Sam and Patrick, who tremendously impact his life. From this friendship, Charlie experiences deep friendship and first loves. Yet, he is also coping with the suicide of his best friend and death of his beloved aunt, which starts to weigh on him. 

“Little Miss” Awareness

“Good Will Hunting” is a 1997 drama film that deals with childhood trauma and the therapeutic process. Will Hunting is a college-aged delinquent janitor. He discovered to have a high IQ after he solves a complex equation after students were not able to complete it. The professor offers him the opportunity to study under him to avoid jail after seeing him solve it. But, he must attend therapy if he wants to partake in the opportunity. This forces him to face his pessimistic past. “Good Will Hunting” mainly focuses on Attachment Disorder/Abandonment Issues and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It a also explores professional, friendly and romantic relationships. 

“Little Miss Sunshine” is a 2006 coming-of-age film that follows a family determined to get their daughter, Olive,  to the beauty pageant final of her dreams. The film touches heavily on mental health issues by featuring Uncle Frank, who suffers severe depression after a suicide attempt. Frank’s depression is shown in a realistic way and not romanticized, which is something numerous films do. After being forced to spend an abundance of time with his family, Frank’s spirits start to slowly rise as he realizes the importance of family relationships. “Little Miss Sunshine” also deals with body image issues. Though Olive is ecstatic to be part of the beauty pageant, the idea of not having the bodily qualifications to be considered “pretty” builds up. Which ends up being something she struggles with for the majority of the film. 

Mental Disorder Focused

“Girl, Interrupted” is a 1999 coming-of-age drama film that focuses on the story of character Susanna. Susanna is brought to a mental institution for young women after a suicide attempt. There, she meets many different women who start to impact her life. “Girl, Interrupted” lets viewers see how mental health issues impact people due to how many are represented in the film. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD), Schizophrenia, Depression, Anorexia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), along with many more, are the main disorders. Yet, main characters deal with BPD, APD and the others listed.

“Beautiful Boy” is a 2018 drama film that is based on the memoir of the same name. It follows David Sheff and his son, Nic Sheff who struggles with substance abuse. “Beautiful Boy” focuses on how drug survival, relapse and recovery affect the user and their family. 

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is a 2004 drama that follows characters Joel and Clementine after they get a procedure to erase each other from their minds forever. When Joel slowly starts to realize how important his relationship with Clementine was to him, he attempts to assemble his memories back. Though the film does not focus on mental health, the main characters struggle with their own issues. After the relationship fails, Joel becomes furtherly depressed due to the painful memories. It is also implied that Clementine has BPD, which contributed to their relationship.  

Recent Film

“Sentimental Value” is a 2025 Norwegian family drama that follows character, Nora, and her complicated relationship with her father. When Nora’s father, Gustav, writes a screenplay for Nora to act in, she declines his offer. Not wanting to scrap the project, Gustav searches for an actress to fill in the part and falls upon actress Rachel Kemp. As time goes on, Nora contemplates whether denying the role was the right choice or if it could have brought her closer to her estranged father. “Sentimental Value” focuses on many varieties of mental health, with the main focus being on depression and Nora’s previous suicide attempts.