TWO mental health nurses are using films and podcasts to create a dialogue about mental health and challenge the taboo around everyday mental health struggles.
Free showings of movies ranging from Frozen and Mamma Mia to Split and Unsane are followed by a facilitated discussion around the themes of mental health relevant to the particular film screening.
As well as plans for regular screenings and discussions, the pair have launched a new podcast on the subject of mental health available on Anchor and Spotify.
Mental Health in Movies (MHIM) is the brainchild of Dan Warrender and Scott Macpherson, mental health nurses in Aberdeen, who began the programme before the pandemic but had to stop during the lockdowns.
It is returning in-person on Tuesday with Planes, Trains And Automobiles, a John Hughes comedy from 1987 starring Steve Martin and John Candy. The film follows Neal, who’s on his way home for Thanksgiving. When his flight is cancelled, he ends up meeting Del, a goofy salesmen. Together, they tumble through a series of misadventures as they try to get back home in time for the holidays.
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Warrender and Macpherson said their aim was to showcase a wide range of films to emphasise that mental health experiences can be found in all sorts of stories.
Their last film, before the first lockdown, was Fargo, and they are excited to be restarting the programme.
“I’m really looking forward to getting out there and discussing mental health in film with my good friend as well as the wider public,” said Warrender. “It never feels like hard work but it always feels important that we have these conversations.”
Macpherson said Planes, Trains And Automobiles was one of his all-time favourite comedies and he “couldn’t wait” to use it to create conversations around mental health.
He continued: “The pandemic affected our ability to provide these sorts of showings for people so we’re really excited to be able to do this in-person again and we hope that the public will turn up to support the initiative and enjoy a great film in comfortable surroundings, followed by some judgment-free discussion.”
Episode Zero can be found on Anchor and Spotify, along with an episode on The Lobster. The podcast’s screenings return on Tuesday evening in the Kino Bar of Aberdeen’s
Belmont Filmhouse with Planes, Trains And Automobiles.
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