5 Movies You Should Watch on World Health Day

World Health Day is observed annually on April 7. It raises awareness about certain health issues with a different topic every year. The date also commemorates the creation of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948. ‘Our Planet, Our Health’ is the theme for World Health Day 2022. With the weekend approaching and a multitude of nature-based series and documentaries currently available on streaming services, we’d like to recommend five films that deal with mental health.

We made sure to gather films with award-winning performances, moving animated stories about emotions, and music! The following are five films that you should see this weekend that highlight the significance of talking about one’s mental health.

It’s Kind Of a Funny Story

A depressed teenager, Craig, checks himself into a psychiatric ward. He seeks medical help because he is unable to comprehend and live with the ongoing tragic events in the world and the thoughts in his mind. Craig is informed that the youth ward is undergoing renovations, and he is confined to the adult ward. There, he meets the other patients and learns more about life, love, and the challenges that come with growing up.

Keir Gilchrist (‘It Follows’), Emma Roberts (‘American Horror Story’), Zach Galifianakis (Due Date), Zoë Kravitz (‘Kimi’), and Viola Davis (‘The Help’) are cast members in the film. ‘It’s Kind Of a Funny Story’ is directed by filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. It is based on late writer Ned Vizzini’s novel of the same name, which he penned as a result of his struggles with depression.

Watch ‘It’s Kind Of a Funny Story’ on: Apple TV

Inside Out

‘Inside Out’ depicts the emotions as they play out in the mind of the main character Riley. She gets annoyed when she is forced to relocate due to her father’s new employment. Struggling to adjust to her new life and school, her emotions scramble to find a resolution. Fighting with each other, they are unable to best express Rileys’ emotional situation.

Pete Docter directs the animated film. The voice cast for each of the emotions in the film includes Amy Poehler as Joy, Bill Hader as Fear, Lewis Black as Anger, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, and Mindy Kaling as Disgust. Richard Kind voices Bing Bong, Kaitlyn Dias voices Riley. Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan voice Mom and Dad, respectively.

Watch ‘Inside Out’ on: Disney+

The Soloist

A movie that portrays topics of schizophrenia, music, and friendship. Steve Lopez’s career as a newspaper columnist has come to a halt. Divorced and depressed, he is unable to reclaim his passion for writing. While cycling one morning, he comes across an accident that leads him to meet Nathaniel Ayers, a street musician struggling with schizophrenia. By writing his story, Steve will help them both.

Jamie Foxx (‘Django Unchained’) is cast as violin and cello player Nathaniel Ayers, while Robert Downey Jr. (‘The Judge’) plays journalist Steve Lopez. The cast includes Catherine Keener (‘The Interpreter’), Tom Hollander (‘Bohemian Rhapsody‘), Lisa Gay Hamilton (‘House Of Cards’), Nelsan Ellis (‘True Blood’), and Stephen Root (‘Get Out’).

Filmmaker Joe Wright serves as the director of the film. It is based on the book ‘The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music’ by Steve Lopez.

Watch ‘The Soloist’ on: EPIX

Still Alice

Dr. Alice Howland is a successful linguistics professor. She lives in a happy home with her family and has a successful career. She has trouble forming words and sentences one day when delivering a presentation. Unable to recollect where is she while jogging, post a consultation, she receives news of the early onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The film chronicles her struggles, her family adapting to this news, and the family member’s relationships with each other.

‘Still Alice’ is adapted from the book of the same name by author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova. The book is based on the life of her grandmother. Filmmakers Wash Westmoreland and the late Richard Glatzer served as its directors. It stars Julianne Moore (‘The Kids Are All Right’), Alec Baldwin (‘The Aviator’), Kristen Stewart (‘Seberg’), Kate Bosworth (‘Before I Wake’), and Hunter Parrish (‘RV’). Julianne Moore won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, A BAFTA award, and a SAGA award for her performance in the film.

Watch ‘Still Alice’ on: Starz

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

On his first day as a freshman, Charlie wants to make a positive change in his life. He is an introvert who is depressed and confides only in his family. Bullied around at school, Charlie bonds with his English teacher. Patrick and Sam, two older students, break him out of his shell and encourage him to do new things in life. Charlie finds friendship, first love, and an ambition to be a writer.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is based on Stephen Chbosky’s coming-of-age novel of the same name. He also directed the film, which has a cast list that includes Logan Lerman (‘Hunters’), Emma Watson (‘Regression’), Ezra Miller (‘Fantastic Beast Film Series’), Paul Rudd (‘Mute’), and Kate Walsh (‘Grey’s Anatomy’). Stephen Chbosky and Emma Watson also worked together in the film ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (2017).

Watch ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ on: Apple TV

You May Also Read:

9 Movies Starring Fearless Women

10 Biographical Movies about Inspiring Women

5 Illuminating Stories to Stream for Black History Month