CALL ME CRAZY ~ A movie of 5 short films on mental illness

From a press release from Lifetime to be shown on April 20, 2013  at 8 pm and now available on Netflix for your at-home viewing.

Though I haven't seen it, the stories in one film would seem to be the first time one film covers a wide range of mental illness from a wide range of perspectives. So I thought it was worth the publicity and tentative endorsement.


ABOUT CALL ME CRAZY: A FIVE FILM
Lifetime 4/20 8pm

Written by Deirdre O'Connor (Five) and directed by Howard, Lucy follows the film's title character (Snow), a law student who finds herself amidst the horror of schizophrenia, landing her in an institution where, through the support of a new friend (Ritter), meds and her psychotherapist (Spencer), she begins her path to not only healing, but a promising future. Lucy also features Clint Howard (Fringe).

Grace, directed by Maguire and written by Howard J. Morris (Five), explores bipolar disorder through the experience of a teenage daughter (Hyland) whose mother (Leo) grapples with the condition. Also starring in Grace are Melissa Farman (Temple Grandin) and Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights).

Allison weaves together comedy and family drama in a story about healing when its eldest daughter "Lucy" (Snow) returns home from inpatient treatment and spoils her sister "Allison's" (Vassilieva) unveiling of her new boyfriend to their parents (real-life wife and husband Smart and Richard Gilliland, Desperate Housewives). Allison, also featuring Ken Baumann (The Secret Life of an American Teenager), was written by Jan Oxenberg (Parenthood) and is directed by Dern.

Eddie, directed by Hunt and written by Stephan Godchaux (Five), delves into the world of depression as seen through the eyes of a comedian's wife (Thompson) as she grapples with understanding how her husband Eddie (Mitch Rouse, According to Jim), whom is so loved, can be so withdrawn and overcome with sadness. The short also stars Handler and features appearances by Dave Foley (The Kids in the Hall), Jay Chandrasekhar (Super Troopers), James Avery (The Closer) and Ross Mathews (Chelsea Lately).

In Maggie, penned by Erin Cressida Wilson (Secretary) and directed by Judd, a female veteran (Hudson) returns home from war to her son and father (Ernie Hudson), only to have her life shattered by the onset of posttraumatic stress disorder, through which her lawyer, "Lucy," helps her. Griffith also stars in Maggie.