Directed by Joe Pantoliano
Review by Alexander Denker
The United States is possibly the world’s most advanced country for medical technologies and resources, yet less than half of people with mental illness in our society get treatment. This is not just because those people choose not to seek treatment, but due to the stigma that surrounds mental illness throughout the United States. We have set up an economy where it saves the system money to deny coverage to the mentally ill and a society that views mental illness as a disgrace that should not be shared.
In his first documentary, “No Kidding, Me 2!,” Joe Pantoliano, the founder of an educational organization under the same name, yet most known for his role as Ralph Cifaretto on “The Sopranos,” speaks on behalf and as a person with mental disease. The film, often styled in a home-movie style, serves as “a canvas of mental illness in a family.” Pantoliano effectively brings his own struggle with depression and discusses its ramifications within his family and work. Throughout, various people of all ages, occupations, and diseases, are interviewed and seen in group discussion, illustrating how someone who otherwise seems to be “normal” may be forced to admit they have mental illness for their own sake and the sake of their friends and families. Those interviewed included students with clinical depression who resort to cutting and other destructive behavior, a man with schizophrenia who resorted to alcoholism to treat his disease, a surgeon who realizes he is bipolar, and an Iraq War veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, the case that truly illustrates Pantoliano’s purpose in making this film, is the story of Jordan Burnham, an 18-year-old who attempted suicide by jumping from his 9-story window. Jordan survived that fall and has now become a public speaker on mental disease, suicide, and the importance of admitting illness.
In an interview I had with Joe Pantoliano, he stated that “the more people that speak about [mental illness], the less the stigma.” Jordan embodies that idea. Mental illness is commonly viewed as ‘a mark of infamy’ and that makes it ever-so more important to speak about it, especially among younger generations. “1/4 Americans have mental illness. 4/5 are effected by it.” The more mental disease and its ubiquity are understood, the more our society may ignore stigma and view mental illness like any other. Pantoliano’s documentary is an effective introduction.
B+
Alexander Denker is a student at New York University studying the neurological relationship between music, visual perception, and photography. Visit his site at http://www.photodenk.com to check out his work.
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