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A Beautiful Mind is an inspiring story about achievement over schizophrenia, among the most shocking and disabling of all mental disorders. In the movie the main character, John Nash, is a mathematician who suffers from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is actually the most long lasting and disabling of the major mental illnesses and it distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, interprets reality and relates to others. The movie does an excellent job showing the problems that Alicia had as she tries to help her husband seek treatment and recover from the disease. A Beautiful Mind directly shows a medical definition of schizophrenia. Nash exhibits many of the key symptoms of the disease: hallucinations (he has a roommates but he lives in a single dorm room), delusions (thinks he works for the government), ideas of reference, poor social skills (mumbles, doesn’t talk much to strangers), awkward gestures and facial expressions, and jumbled speeches.
I believe, more than anything else, this movie focuses on perceptions of life. Perception of what is reality and what is imaginary, not only his perception but also people’s perception of him, and of the situation. Yet he was a brilliant man, although at times to people he seemed a bit unorthodox he was eventually accepted. I believe that it was his problems of not liking people, but wanting to be accepted and aided his mental state, however by the time he had become accepted, his imaginary world was out of control. There is a moment in the movie when Nash meets a new person and asks the person next to him "Is there really a man standing there?" Yes was the response, "My apologies but I've been known to converse with people only I can see." Forgive my horrible memory for these quotes, but hopefully you get the point.” This man was brilliant and kind and loving and interesting and creative. His mind is beautiful and also schizophrenic.