I knew already that mental illness was the reason behind the story but I hadn't researched much further into it.
After Mike's suggestions I searched online into psychological disorders to see if there was any particular disorder that would fit with what we are seeing aside from Schizophrenia.
I found a page about Psychological Disorders that described a condition called 'Delusional Disorder'. It defines the condition as:
This condition fits in with what Sean is experiencing and is different to Schizophrenia in that it focusses strongly on visual delusions rather than auditory ones. The fact that sufferers can continue to socialise and behave normally also helps with the fact that the characters also act calmly and no suspicion is raised.
Although Delusional Disorder fits better with the film, I can't jump to any conclusions yet until more has been read about the condition.
Further down the page the condition was broken down into different types:
Grandiose fits in with Grit almost perfectly: Sean believes he is a contract killer, to kill someone gives that sense of power that the Grandiose type describes. Perry is a drug dealer and gets his power from making money by selling drugs and Zoe has a sense of worth and identity through her paintings.
With this in mind I felt quite set with using this condition as the reason for the film happening. However I began to think about the 'why' of the film. I don't mean the purpose of Grit but instead why is Sean a contract killer; Perry a dealer and Zoe a painter? Why these roles and why is the True Protagonist suffering from a mental illness?
The website also lists several causes for the condition: one in particular being stress as a trigger. This would be the easiest cause to hint and place inside the film to give the necessary backstory.
I began to think about the possibility of Zoe or Perry being based on someone who was real; someone the True Protagonist knew who perhaps had an accident and ultimately caused a great deal of stress for the TP. What if either Zoe or Perry died? A close friend or relative of the TP's and this was the trigger point.
This would make the film plausible and the character(s) involved more purpose for being in the film. This also gives Grit more emotional context and when deeper into the film would be a surprise and tragic backstory for the audience to find.
I chose a drug from random, Risperdal, and read more to see how this drug helps out the condition. To my surprise, Risperdal is used to help sufferers think clearly: which sounds a lot like what Vision tries to do. I could use Vision as a signal that the True Protagonist has taken some Risperdal and Vision is trying to make him think clearer.
With the majority of drugs though, there are side effects, and I had to see whether these would be an issue if the True Protagonist were to take this drug:
A lot of these side effects are fairly noticeable with the exception of anxiety: which is apparent in the scenes where Sean questions his 'occupation'. I decided to look more into anxiety and came across a website that listed more possible side effects from Risperidone: an ingredient in Respidoral.
Aggressive behaviour; loss of balance control, and memory problems all stood out for me as they already exist within my script:
Agressive Behaviour:
- Sean's solution to the three men blocking his path.
- The extreme ending to Sean and Vision's argument.
Loss of Balance Control:
- Sean, after killing the three men blocking his way, stumbles over for a moment.
Memory Problems:
- Robson's name is changed to Jensen: only Vision notices this. This would work under the assumption that Vision only appears once Risperdal is taken: as the memory problem he notices is a side effect.
Other effects like skin rash or itching can be implemented subtly into the film with Sean scratching his arm every now and then after Vision appears.
I feel like I've gotten lucky in finding this condition as the resulting causes and treatment drugs actually support a lot of the events that happen in the film.
All I would need to do now is A) hide or suggest these in the film and B) Create and hide the trigger for the condition.
These will be looked at in a separate post titled 'The Hidden Backstory'.
Bibliography:
'Mental Health: Delusional Disorder' At: webmd.com http://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/guide/delusional-disorder (Accessed on: 6.10.15)
'Risperdal Side Effects in Detail' At: drugs.com http://www.drugs.com/sfx/risperdal-side-effects.html (Accessed on: 6.10.15)
After Mike's suggestions I searched online into psychological disorders to see if there was any particular disorder that would fit with what we are seeing aside from Schizophrenia.
I found a page about Psychological Disorders that described a condition called 'Delusional Disorder'. It defines the condition as:
This condition fits in with what Sean is experiencing and is different to Schizophrenia in that it focusses strongly on visual delusions rather than auditory ones. The fact that sufferers can continue to socialise and behave normally also helps with the fact that the characters also act calmly and no suspicion is raised.
Although Delusional Disorder fits better with the film, I can't jump to any conclusions yet until more has been read about the condition.
Further down the page the condition was broken down into different types:
With this in mind I felt quite set with using this condition as the reason for the film happening. However I began to think about the 'why' of the film. I don't mean the purpose of Grit but instead why is Sean a contract killer; Perry a dealer and Zoe a painter? Why these roles and why is the True Protagonist suffering from a mental illness?
The website also lists several causes for the condition: one in particular being stress as a trigger. This would be the easiest cause to hint and place inside the film to give the necessary backstory.
I began to think about the possibility of Zoe or Perry being based on someone who was real; someone the True Protagonist knew who perhaps had an accident and ultimately caused a great deal of stress for the TP. What if either Zoe or Perry died? A close friend or relative of the TP's and this was the trigger point.
This would make the film plausible and the character(s) involved more purpose for being in the film. This also gives Grit more emotional context and when deeper into the film would be a surprise and tragic backstory for the audience to find.
With the pieces coming together I looked at how Delusional Disorder is treated, if it can be, and whether it adds anything else to the film. Particularly as a sub-plot is Perry preparing to do a big deal.
With the majority of drugs though, there are side effects, and I had to see whether these would be an issue if the True Protagonist were to take this drug:
A lot of these side effects are fairly noticeable with the exception of anxiety: which is apparent in the scenes where Sean questions his 'occupation'. I decided to look more into anxiety and came across a website that listed more possible side effects from Risperidone: an ingredient in Respidoral.
Aggressive behaviour; loss of balance control, and memory problems all stood out for me as they already exist within my script:
Agressive Behaviour:
- Sean's solution to the three men blocking his path.
- The extreme ending to Sean and Vision's argument.
Loss of Balance Control:
- Sean, after killing the three men blocking his way, stumbles over for a moment.
Memory Problems:
- Robson's name is changed to Jensen: only Vision notices this. This would work under the assumption that Vision only appears once Risperdal is taken: as the memory problem he notices is a side effect.
Other effects like skin rash or itching can be implemented subtly into the film with Sean scratching his arm every now and then after Vision appears.
I feel like I've gotten lucky in finding this condition as the resulting causes and treatment drugs actually support a lot of the events that happen in the film.
All I would need to do now is A) hide or suggest these in the film and B) Create and hide the trigger for the condition.
These will be looked at in a separate post titled 'The Hidden Backstory'.
Bibliography:
'Mental Health: Delusional Disorder' At: webmd.com http://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/guide/delusional-disorder (Accessed on: 6.10.15)
'Risperdal Side Effects in Detail' At: drugs.com http://www.drugs.com/sfx/risperdal-side-effects.html (Accessed on: 6.10.15)
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