Tag Archives: Mental Health

Not Today – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A film that explores the subject of suicide, as two people are brought together on what could be the worst day of their lives.  

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress: if you are concerned, Lifeline Australia runs a confidential 24-hour hotline, which you can call inside Australia on 13 11 14.

Mamta quizzes Aliah.

Not Today Review –

Today, we look at a film that explores a very sensitive topic: suicide. It is a subject that is rarely tackled well in the media and in society. Given that this is such a difficult space to work in, how would you tackle a film where this subject is not only referenced but is central to the story? Well, that is what we are going to be looking at today.   

So, to set the scene, Aliah Rupawala (Rucha Inamdar) is training under Mamta (Vibhawari Deshpande) to be a suicide prevention counsellor. This is a profoundly difficult job not only because you are trying to intervein with people on their darkest day about engaging with actions that can’t be walked back from. But also because of the emotional toll it can take on the receptionists themselves. It is Aliah’s first day, and she has had to deal with learning a new environment, making prank calls, trying to waste their time, and more. But just as it is about to come to an end, she gets a message from Ashwin Mathur (Harsh Chhaya) that may turn her life upside-down.

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Turtles All the Way Down – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Come for the interesting exploration of mental health and the bond of teenagers in the face of tragedy. Stay tuned for the exciting trivia about Indianapolis.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Yellow microbes on a black banner.

Turtles All the Way Down Review –

Today, we look at a film in which I had some deep trepidation before pressing play. I generally like the author’s work and have read all of his other novels; however, when I sat down to read the Turtles book, I hit a wall. There was this moment early in the book when it went from being a fictional story to being too real and personal, and I had to put the book down. And I am sorry to say, I never picked it back up again. So today, what we have is almost a second attempt for me to find a new first impression and see if I can make it further into the work than last time. Well, I have a packet of Wagon Wheels in front of me and the house smells of roast potatoes, and there is no time like the present.  

So to set the scene, we open with Aza Holmes (Isabela Merced) lamenting or musing about how 50% of the human body mass is made up of microbial entities and what that means on a philosophical level with her therapist Dr. Kira Singh (Poorna Jagannathan). Aza has OCD, which relates to how she perceives the microbial world, both within and without. When she goes to have lunch with her best friend Daisy Ramirez (Cree), they discover that Aza’s old friend Davis Pickett’s (Felix Mallard) father has gone missing, and there is a $100,000 reward.

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The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A short but powerful look at our own demons.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I watched this on Sony’s YouTube.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

The world crushes in on Miles.

The Spider Within Review –

As we patiently wait for the third part of the Spider-Verse series after Into the Spider-Verse and then Across the Spider-Verse, it was nice to hear that we were getting a short film in the universe. This is an excellent idea because you can keep the interest in the series up while getting to tell some more intimate stories that might not have fitted in a large feature. With that in mind, let’s dive into The Spider Within.

So to set the scene, Miles (Shameik Moore) is walking home, but is feeling the weight of all his different worlds crushing in on himself. His schoolwork is floundering, but he is out saving the world, and that disconnect can only continue for so long. Not even his father (Brian Tyree Henry) and his offer of pizza and scary movies can help. But what happens when that disconnect breaks down?

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