University of Makati College of Allied Health Studies J.P. Rizal Ext.

West Rembo, Makati City

A BEAUTIFUL MIND
Reaction Paper

Submitted to: Prof. Rosauro Briones

Submitted by: Valmoria, Gelli Kim R. 3BN

March 24, 2011

Beautiful Mind

is an impressive, artistic, ingenious portrayal of a

common mental illness.

Schizophrenia, the mental disorder being depicted in the movie,

is characterized by disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It is

most commonly manifested as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or

disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social or occupational

dysfunction. To have this kind of illness is a big burden to the individual, the family itself, and even in the community. Good thing about the film is that it has managed to let
the viewer observe and actually experience the disorder from the perspective of the individual

suffering with the disease and from the family and friends' perspective. As I watch the
movie,

I really thought that John Nashs roommate was real and I

It

thought that he really worked for a secret sect in the government.

was a shock to me when I realized that it had all been a part of his imagination. I can

barely picture how dreadful and hard it is for him to essentially survive in the course of
that experience and to find out that nothing was real.

The film has so many features that make it a good movie. Russell Crowe is a very
good

actor and

he perfectly portrays the life of John Forbes Nash. The story of Nash is

so compelling and it draws you into the movie. In my opinion the elements that

make this such an exceptional film are the casting, the soundtrack, and the true to
life story of John Forbes Nash. This movie is a representation of the people with mental

illness, especially experiencing schizophrenia. People with mental disability, yet, still a
part of the human race that must be respected, loved, and treated as normal.

I personally admire John Nash as

an intellectual mathematician and also as a

except that the main

lover. The film begins almost like your typical love story

character is a little strange because hes a genius. He is a mathematical wizard and exhibits the

characteristics you often see in someone so brilliant. For example, he frequently loses
track of time at work because he is so involved in solving an equation that no one has ever solved before. The little details of life kind of get away from him because his mind

appears to be occupied with thoughts about his work. After all, it is not unusual for a genius to
be a little eccentric.

John seems to see the world differently than the average. Different

yet impressive point of view that how I wish I could have such wisdom.

This story only proves that everyone can not be a legendary genius, but an intellectual mathematician may come from anyone, even from people with mental illness.
Thumbs up for the movie and the story itself! It is now included in my personal list of favorite
movies.

Perhaps it is a gift to have a beautiful mind but it is even a greater gift to

discover a beautiful heart.