Helen starring Ashley Judd and Goran Visnjic


I watched Helen starring Ashley Judd and Goran Visnjic last night. Judd played the role of a depressive brilliantly, but Visnjic stole the movie in his beautiful portrayal of a man losing his wife to her depression and his pain at her rejection and betrayal. That said, I had to wonder how realistic it is for any person  to be so giving and loving in the face of the cruelty that comes with that kind of suicidal depression. There's a point in the movie where his character, David, refers to Helen as a shadow of herself - paraphrased - that just broke my heart. This is not a happy-go-lucky, depression gets cured now let's all go live happily ever after kind of movie. It portrays the reality that people suffering from clinical depression may go years without going into a depressive state only to have one onset for no discernible reason. Depression is really the central character with Judd and Visnjic serving as the tools to deliver the message. I found the story touching and the acting realistic in this heart wrenching, enlightening portrayal of depression.

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