Race To Nowhere shows students dusted up by the aftermath of academic and social pressure. It’s Kind Of A Funny Story zeroes in on the moment of impact.
While one is a documentary and the other a fictionalized version (that’s not too far-fetched), both reflect the reality that living in a pressure cooker isn’t a healthy place for anyone.
Based on a popular teen book, Funny Story begins with 15-year old Craig Gilmer checking himself into a psych ward. He does this as a next-to-last resort, after stopping his meds and his clockwork-like suicide dreams take a turn for the worse. Already a student at New York’s most competitive high school, he’s struggling with completing the application for a prestigious summer program.
A sympathetic psychiatrist asks him to describe the worst thing that would happen if he didn’t get into the program. His hilarious, but heartfelt stream of consciousness will be familiar to any teen. Here’s a hint…it’s starts with “I won’t get into a good college” and ends with “I’ll never get ****”. Oh yeah, there’s also the angst of not being featured on MTV Cribs, but you’ll have to see that one for yourself.
Unlike the concerned, articulate parents in RTN, parents in Funny Story alternate between bumbling and clueless. Craig’s high-powered dad misses a visit because of a client emergency, but doesn’t forget to bring the summer program application on his next visit. This is also the same dad who tried to cheer up a despondent five-year old Craig with facts about Beethoven’s prowess at the age of four. Thanks, Dad.
Another stressor for Craig is his perception that he’s the only one having a rough go of it. His long-time best friend makes everything look easy and gets the girl, who also happens to be Craig’s crush.
The story turns ironic when the crush reveals her weekly therapist visits and Craig becomes big man on campus after word gets out about his hospitalization. Every teen loves a good drama! Even the best friend ends up revealing that he’s “sometimes bothered by that depression stuff”.
Although billed as a comedy, Funny Story offers some serious lessons about the value of perspective and the importance of flexible thinking. Suffice it to say that Craig leaves the hospital with a vastly different outlook and some newfound skills.
Skills, for dealing with everything the teen years can throw at you, are what we're all about at Thrive Research. Our Stanford-developed programs are private, online and can be accessed 24/7. No need to check-in anywhere but your computer.
Visit us today to see how we can help you learn skills and techniques to help your adolescent avoid or cope with depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders.
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