Movie Paper on Mommie Dearest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Movie Paper on Mommie Dearest - Essay ExampleThis could greatly be accounted by the wrong and approximatelytimes grotesque perceptions of the illness in the media and their depictions in tears. Although some of these portrayals are realistic and accurate, some are more likely sensationalized.Media and films are powerful mediums of information. They can either justify the truth or bend the truth to both positive and negative extremities. With this in hand, this paper then is perusal of a films characterization of a person with mental disorder. The film studied is the biographic delineation of Joan Crawfords life entitle Mommie Dearest which was based on the book written by her adopted daughter Christina after her death.In the film, Yablans and Perry (1981) focused the story on the relationship between the movie legend Joan Crawford and her adoptive daughter Christina. The movie starts with then single and split Joan Crawford determined to adopt children to fill the void that was mi ssing in her life. Joan offset adopted a baby girl and called her Christina. She later adopted another baby boy and called him Christopher.The film depicts the childrens lives under the renowned Hollywood star, who behind curtains was an abusive and violent parent. Her obsessive want of excellence as a famous actress and a parent topped with the pressure of being in show descent and an abusive attitude towards alcohol was a repeating theme throughout the movie. Yablans and Perry(1981) concentrated the film on Joan Crawfords bouts of obsessive madness where the burden was inflicted on her children. Christinas struggle as a child and later on adulthood to be an actress to satisfy her mother was also conveyed. There were only several small indications of her marriages during the film. No doubt, Joan Crawfords supposed reputation as a renowned actress was ruined by the exposure of her other life.Although Joan Crawford was not formally diagnosed, she was suspected to put up an Obsessi ve Compulsive Disorder (OCD). According to resources of MentalHelp.net (n.d.), OCD is an anxiety disorder where a person has recurrent and unwanted ideas or impulses (called arrested developments) and these obsessions are coupled with the constant urge or coercion to satisfy the discomfort caused by the obsession. These obsessions could vary, from simple things such as hygiene to more decomposable things such as religion. When the compulsions to satisfy his obsession are disgruntled, anxiety attacks follow. MentalHelp.net (n.d.) further adds that a person with OCD have thoughts and behaviors that are often senseless, repetitive, distressing, and sometimes harmful, but they are also difficult to overcome. The behavior of a person with OCD was more or less depicted by Joan Crawfords characterization in the film. First was her obsession to be seen as a good role model of a parent. She insisted on adopting children although she was advised by her friend who is an attorney to not adop t because it was not advisable for her to adopt children given her single and divorced status. When advised, she retaliates Bend the law (Yablans and Perry, 1981). In another instance, the two children were made to recite which were obviously practiced answers to the wireless staff that came to interview the Crawford family on how they spend their Christmas. Joan Crawford was watchful of their answers and it