There is no system or construct on Earth more complex and impossibly challenging than the human mind.
For all of our thousands of years of history, of science, and of study about thought itself, we may still only be scratching the surface of what makes our brains tick and our minds race.
But it can be said that cinema might actually be the closest we’ve ever come to capturing the full potential of our minds and the full spectrum of emotional and sensory experience in art.
In marrying sight, sound, movement, and music, movies can convey a broader range of emotional and psychological experiences than any other art form, and often the greatest filmmakers set their talents on exactly that.
As May has been designated Mental Health Awareness Month, there’s no better time to jump into a selection of films screening around the city that are designed to explore and examine all the moods, melancholies, merriments, and more that make up our minds and mental health.
These films explore the most chilling depths of grief, the societal siege of anxiety, and even the unbridled joy of total ridiculousness.
‘The Shrouds’ – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – May 9th through May 15th
For decades, David Cronenberg has been hailed as one of the great cinematic explorers of the macabre, the visceral, and the straight-up disturbing.
Classics like “The Fly,” “Scanners,” and “Videodrome” practically created the entire genre of “body horror,” while thrillers like “The Dead Zone” and “A History of Violence” took aim at the depths of psychology and the extremes of trauma.
But his newest film, “The Shrouds,” not only stands to combine his interests in the limits of the mind and the limits of the human body, but also explores them both through the lens of something he’s never tackled so directly: grief.
“The Shrouds” follows a tech mogul (played by the fantastic Vincent Cassel) grieving the loss of his wife as he develops and popularizes a new technology that allows the bereaved to monitor the decay and decomposition of their loved ones’ bodies after burial.
In classic “Cronenbergian” fashion, Cassel’s character is then drawn into a strange, psycho-sexual relationship with his wife’s twin sister and a steep descent into conspiracy-laden techno-infused underworld.
But even though the plot feels par for the filmmaker, the subtext runs much, much deeper here.
And that’s because Cronenberg lost his wife of 38 years, producer and filmmaking partner Carolyn Zeifman, just a few years ago, and admits to developing this story out of his own grief and inability to let go or confront his own depression.
This is bound to be a more direct and vulnerable exploration of the mind and its connection to the body than he’s ever presented before.
It’s little surprise, then, that Cassel’s character so closely resembles Cronenberg throughout, down to the shock-white hair and preference for black attire.
For showtimes, tickets, and more, visit okcmoa.com.
‘What Rhymes with Reason’ – Rodeo Cinema – May 9th
One of the most talked-about films of deadCenter Film Festival 2023, the Oklahoma-produced “What Rhymes with Reason” is making a hometown return to the screen at Rodeo Cinema in the Stockyards, specifically to commemorate Mental Health Awareness Month.
The movie centers on a group of teenage friends who come together to uncover clues and crack a mystery that they hope will provide some answers – and more importantly, some emotional closure – for their friend’s suicide.
Director Kyle Roberts and writer Sean Thiessen designed “What Rhymes with Reason” to examine the honest and complicated emotions of teens and young adults struggling with grief and the lack of acceptance or understanding that so often come with it.
The film was even co-produced by Oklahoma’s 988 Mental Health Lifeline.
Roberts will be on hand at the screening along with actors Jacob Snovel, Lisa Fennimore, and LaRonn Marzett to discuss the making of the film and their approach to the subject matter.
For showtimes, tickets, and more, visit rodeocinema.org.
‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ – 50th Anniversary – Now Playing
If you’re wondering just how on Earth something as unapologetically wacky and nonsensically ridiculous as the great “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” could ever be an entry into a list of films about mental health, then you’re discounting the emotional importance of absolute joy and side-splitting laughter.
Yes, it’s been quoted to death and copied ad nauseum, but when you sit down to watch it, it always defends its throne as the funniest film of all time. At this point, it might as well just be accepted as historical fact.
If there’s one thing that should never be forgotten or overlooked during Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s the healing power and communal enjoyment of a great laugh, and there’s surely no better time to remind ourselves than during the 50th anniversary celebration of one of cinema’s most riotous offerings.
For showtimes, tickets, and more, visit flixbrewhouse.com, amctheatres.com, and cinemark.com.
Catch Brett Fieldcamp’s film column weekly for information and insights into the world of film in the Oklahoma City metro and Oklahoma. | Brought to you by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
