Mental (2013)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Blistering performances.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

It is stormy outside so I decided on a lazy Sunday watching Foxtel on demand. I have scrolled past this movie a hundred times but the trailer and early reviews put me off. Today, having previously watched 90% of the on demand library, I thought I'd give Mental a go.What a gem of a film. Typically Aussie, no big FX, car chases or 20 million dollar A list superstars. Just a brilliant script, excellent cast and acting, and quirky yet believable characters.The movie takes time to develop and the plot seems to lose itself on occasion but it all comes together in an over the top Mental finale. Glad I watched it, I will watch it again many times.

This is a terrific, intelligent, hilarious, energetic, female-led script, that will have you weeping and cheering simultaneously as the lead (Toni Colette) throws punches in the face of situations that girls and women put up with silently everyday.Its acerbically written script depicts suburban life in an average Australian coastal town, and the idiosyncratic personalities that make up the place.Poor Box office sales in the US are not a reflection of the films worth, but more a result of the film producers probably dedicating zero budget to promoting it outside Australia. More is the pity, as it's a rock solid film, if at times slightly difficult to understand the accent if you're not a native.Great film for a girls night in, and a film every Dad needs to see.

Had nothing better to do and gave this a watch. No it isn't properly representing mental illness, but it is heartwarming and funny. Sometimes I think we get so wrapped up in what is considered correct and normal that we miss the point entirely. At the beginning of the movie you see a family that is just existing, they believe that they are nothing because that is what everyone tells them. Shaz comes along after the father can't cope with his daughters whom he has made no attempt to know. She changes everyone in the family and those around them gives them new perspective. Maybe they are fine the way they are, you don't have to fit the mold to have a happy and productive life. I was very moved by the general message of the film, very enjoyable.

Liev Schreiber plays a part that could almost be mistaken for a young Jack Thompson in a movie that Toni Collette makes all her own. The first 5 minutes of this movie will have you laughing. Australian comedy doesn't get any better than this. Deborah Mailman is brilliant as a friend of Shaz's and Rebecca Gibney was almost unrecognizable in a film that should win a heap of awards for the cast. A film that captures a very relevant topic in a way that makes you not just think, but laugh as well. I almost waited for Toni Collette to name herself as a "control mouse". Funny, sad and very Aussie, "Mental" is a film that is definitely going to be one for the collection.