The Writer's Life 12/15 - States of Mind

Mental illness is a tricky subject for writers. I haven't explored it, although I've created a few characters who are nuts. In those instances, the portrayals are not defined by clinical diagnosis. Last night I watched an odd independent film, Aardvark (2017), courtesy of Netflix. It's the story of a schizophrenic, played by Zachary Quinto, Mr. Spock in the current incarnation of big screen Star Trek. He visits a new therapist who has major issues of her own, played by Jenny Slate, who has a solid career going, particularly in lending her voice to animation. Jon Hamm of Mad Men plays the protagonist's successful actor brother. Sheila Vand plays a woman attracted to the disturbed. She also is on a nice career run. Are the three supporting characters real or figments of a misfiring brain? I suspect it's the latter, although I cannot say for sure. I have no idea what the title and shots of an aardvark imply. The tone is subdued for the most part. Is it a good film? I can say only that it's different, although I'm sure most people would bail on it quickly. Fortunately, it runs less than 90 minutes. Brian Shoaf wrote the screenplay and directed it, his first full length big screen work after a couple of shorts and TV movies. I wonder if it went straight to video, as there is no listing of it at Box Office Mojo. I'm sure its production cost was minimal. 300+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 4.2 on a scale of ten. My guess is that only a small fraction of movie fans would stick with it to the end. Here's a montage of the principals in character:

Life being what it is, I was not surprised when I ran into Andu on my morning walk. In his early 30's, a talented artist, he's in an epic struggle with mental health. He's on meds that limit his sleep, so he's frequently out walking in the wee hours. He was conversing with a homeless man when he spotted me. He feels a kinship with them, especially with a guy I've dubbed Ol' Smoky, whom I haven't seen in a while. Andu accompanied me even to Stop n Shop. The security guard was active, trailing someone. I'm not sure if it was Andu he was watching. We left without incident. He said that when he first arrived from communist Romania he looked at supermarkets as a wonderland. Sadly, he seems to be suffering delusions of being recruited by Navy intelligence, and of a possible affair with Taylor Swift, with whom he is in contact at Instagram. I never know how to address his flights of fancy. I know it's futile to argue with someone in his state of mind, so I accept all he says. Is that worse? Does it encourage even more delusions? All I know is that it is all very sad.

My state of mind is sound after today's session of the floating book shop, even though the mist put the kibosh on setting up on Bay Parkway. Minutes before I was going to close down, I spotted the Latino gentleman approaching on his bike. He bought nine more DVD's and, as usual, paid much more than I asked. Gracias, amigo. My thanks also to the woman who purchased three thrillers in Russian, and to the young man who selected an entry in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

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