No One Cares About Crazy People? One spectacular film dares to bravely question that assumption.

This past Wednesday, I was lucky enough to be able to catch an advance screening of NO ONE CARES ABOUT CRAZY PEOPLE, a new documentary film based on the book by the same name by Ron Powers.

This movie is not for the faint of heart. It depicts several people living with some of the most severe mental illnesses, people like Mark Rippee, who lived on the streets with schizophrenia and was legally blind after a traumatic brain injury; Miles Hall, a young man who was shot to death by police while undergoing a psychotic episode; and Kevin Powers, who ended up killing himself after his bouts with depression: as well as a slew of other people affected by SMI.

It does include graphic footage, such as the actual bodycam footage of Miles’ murder, and heart wrenching footage of Mark visibly psychotic, muttering to himself while showering with a water bottle shirtless on the street. He talks about how he is a “secret agent” and other nonsensical conspiracy theories. This may make it a hard watch for people, but that is exactly the point. Don’t look away. Don’t’ sweep these stories under the rug. Sit with them, feel emotional, and get motivated to make change.

We have so many people who look away when serious mental illness is brought up. It is easy to talk about “anxiety”, “self-care”, or “wellness” when talking about mental health, and although those topics are important, so often the spectrum of mental health that people are exposed to is of the sanitized, low-stakes variety.

Not to minimize the struggles that all people with mental health challenges go through, but there are people literally on the verge of life and death due to their mental illnesses, and this is a film for them. This film prioritizes their stories and asks us not to look away, but with riveting testimonies from dedicated family members and loved ones who are not given the luxury of looking away.

Lisa Dailey moderates as Tim Murphy, Cynthia Lewis, and Norm Ornstein answer questions about the film NO ONE CARES ABOUT CRAZY PEOPLE

It is told with a tender, thoughtful perspective, and juxtaposes the scary, frightening reality of SMI with a hopeful resolve that things can get better. It was truly made with care and respect for the families and persons living with SMI and you can tell the filmmakers are invested in the reality for so many people with SMI and their loved ones.

It is narrated by Bob Odenkirk, who does a great job summarizing important history and context for the stories being told, with tact and passion. I felt a variety of emotions while watching the film. There were similarities between my story and the stories depicted. I saw myself in Mark’s rantings and gibberish while actively psychotic, thoughts that may have made sense to him, but are literally insane to others. I felt aligned with Kevin’s story of music and college onset of mental illness (it hit home that we share the same first name and come from affluent families helmed by respected authors), and Miles’ tragic murder at the hands of police reminded me of what could have happened in my various interactions with police while actively psychotic.

So I was extremely emotional while watching the film, as I have been able to walk out the other side of the fire, live a somewhat successful life, and the other three were not as fortunate with their mental health journeys. A mix of survivor’s guilt, sadness, and empathy flowed through me while watching it, as I felt parts of my own story intermingled with theirs and sadness that they could not survive and recover the way I have been able to.