The time spent at school for children is some of the most impactful in their whole lives. They learn new things about the world, make friends, go through various relationships, and also face stress. All of this can take a toll on their mental health as they grow up. That is why supporting the mental health of young students is very important and knowledge of some health movies for high school that teachers can show their students can come in handy.
While life-affirming movies can be a great help for students struggling with mental health issues, it may not be enough to leave it at that. That’s why many teachers ask their students to create film analysis essays after they’ve been shown such a movie. If you are a student and feel afraid of approaching such an essay, don’t worry. You can easily find a film analysis essay example for college & school students and familiarize yourself with how such essays work. Once you read some free samples, you’ll be able to create analysis essays on various topics.
So, the next time your teacher asks you to write a paper on the movie you’ve been shown in class, you can easily complete this task after checking out a sample. Now, before we talk about the best films about mental health that students can learn from, let’s see how movies can actually help in this matter in the first place.
How Can Movies Help?
When young children watch a movie based on mental health, they may be able to strongly relate with the characters if they are going through something similar. This will help them feel like they are not alone in their situation and will also see how to deal with some of the problems they may have. Even if students don’t have mental health issues, they will still be able to learn about them and be aware. This is crucial to help young children be more mindful of their own health as well as that of the people close to them.
Some movies also help children realize that their support and understanding is often crucial for the betterment of someone’s life. If a child can develop a connection with a story and learn something about support from it, then they may be able to show the same support to another person who is struggling with their mental health.
Good Movies About Mental Illness for Class
1. Inside Out
One of the best health movies for middle school is an animated one. The film focuses on the different emotions inside the head of a teenage girl. The main idea of the film is to remind all of us, young and old alike, that sadness and pain are two emotions that are essential for us to live. This is a great example of films where young children can be taught via an overall happy and colorful story about the importance of mental health and being open to their own emotions.
2. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
An eating disorder is a very real issue that many young children suffer from. This movie portrays this disorder very frankly while also showcasing autism through the performance of Leonardo DiCaprio. These are both examples of issues that young children are not always familiar with. Watching this movie, they will not only learn about these issues but also be more sensitive towards those that actually suffer from them.
3. Lars and the Real Girl
In this story, Ryan Gosling who plays the lead character of Lars develops a romantic relationship with a life-sized doll by the name of Bianca. Lars is an introvert who suffers from mental health issues because of years of trauma and finds it difficult to make real human connections. This movie is important to show in high school because the whole community comes together and plays along to help Lars learn how to connect with other people. They do this because they are concerned about him and this shows how the support of people can really change the life of someone who is dealing with mental health problems.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are some very good movies about mental illness that students of all ages can learn from. These will help them become more aware of such issues that exist while also instill within them the empathy and understanding necessary to support someone else. Writing a film analysis on the titles they’ve watched will help them develop a deeper understanding of the problems and express their own opinions. Starting such a discussion in the classroom is one of the first steps any teacher can take to make their students aware of these issues and asking them to create an essay on a movie is a great way to take that first step.