The film has generally received positive reviews and earned a 74% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes based on 214 reviews. It also has an IMDb rating of 8.2/10.

The story explores how John Nash found his place in a world filled with mathematical brilliance during his young years at Princeton University. Nash is recognized as a true genius with numerous mathematical theorems to his name. However, despite his high intelligence, Nash faces difficulties in social relationships and personal interactions. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Nash struggles to cope with the symptoms of the illness. His wife, Alicia, is his greatest supporter throughout his life. Even during periods when Nash finds it challenging to distinguish between reality and delusions due to his schizophrenia, Alicia stands by his side. The film highlights Alicia's love, sacrifice, and the hardships she endures, making her a significant figure in Nash's life. The relationship between the two is a central theme and emotional core of the film. 

While battling his illness, Nash continues his mathematical work, eventually experiencing a process of regaining his mental health. This journey serves as a turning point in Nash's life, illuminated by the support and love of those close to him. The film aims to emphasize both Nash's mathematical brilliance and his struggle with mental illness, contributing to raising awareness about mental health. Through this, it offers a different perspective for viewers to understand the complexity and resilience of the human mind.

Directed by Ron Howard, I would recommend adding this beautiful film to your list if you haven't watched it yet.

Year of Production: 1976

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster

IMDb: 8.2/10

Review (SPOILER ALERT) 

Travis Bickle, portrayed by Robert De Niro, is a Vietnam War veteran and former sailor. After returning from the war, he makes a living as a taxi driver, working night shifts on the dangerous streets of New York City. During his time as a taxi driver, Travis bears witness to the grim and violent atmosphere of the city. Due to feelings of alienation and loneliness that he experiences, he begins to act according to his own sense of justice. 

The life of the main character changes as they become obsessed with a politician, and this transformation occurs after meeting Betsy. Travis tries to capture Betsy's attention by arranging for her to take a taxi ride, but interestingly, Travis's plan backfires, leading to complicated relationships. Betsy is a woman working at the campaign office of the politician who Travis has developed an obsession for. During their relationship, Travis becomes involved in the politician's campaign out of his desire to be close to them and offer assistance. As the relationship between Travis and Betsy becomes more complex, Travis decides to take on the gloomy atmosphere and crime-fighting in the city. Alongside his obsession with the politician, Travis's attempt to rescue the prostitute Iris contributes to his deteriorating mental state and eventual turn towards violent actions. Eventually, Travis begins to formulate an assassination plan for the politician he has fixated on, and during the campaign, he targets the politician for the assassination. However, the assassination attempt fails and attracts the attention of many people in the city. Travis gradually loses focus on his main target and, one day, meets his own end within a building, resembling an unsuccessful hero.

Travis's psychological state can be easily described under five main headings:

Loneliness and Social Isolation: After returning from the Vietnam War, Travis feels alienated in the city where he lives. He lives by himself and struggles to connect with others. Because of this, the lack of proper communication with people around him and the absence of a reliable social support network play a significant role in exacerbating Travis's mental issues. Emphasizing the importance of a social support network for preserving and improving mental health helps us understand the difficulties Travis faces.

Psychological Distress: Throughout the film, Travis's internal monologues and journal entries reveal the complexity of his thoughts and mind. Over time, he starts showing signs of paranoia and a tendency towards violence, navigating an uncertain line between reality and his imagination. The iconic mirror scene can be used as an example of this. Furthermore, Travis's experience of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from his time in the Vietnam War is central to his psychological state. The horrors and losses of the war impact Travis's daily life. Symptoms like sleep problems, nightmares, exaggerated reactions, and frequent flashbacks illustrate his struggle to cope with his traumatic experiences, further deepening his challenges in fitting into society.

Travis's Search for Identity: Resorting to violence to clean up the city's streets, Travis strives to be a "good man" and impose his own sense of justice in response to societal injustices and moral decay. Additionally, Travis's identity crisis and perception of masculinity are essential components of the psychological analysis. Trying to find his place in post-war society, Travis grapples with the conflict between traditional masculinity norms and the changing dynamics of the modern world. This struggle is reflected in his need to prove himself and his tendencies towards aggression.

Media and the Impact of Violence: Travis's progression towards violent actions and the kamikaze-style final scene provide an opportunity to critically examine the influence of media and violent content on individuals. The film allows for a discussion on how media might affect individuals with psychological issues like Travis, shaping them in negative ways.

Professional Help and Early Intervention: Travis's story underscores the critical nature of early diagnosis, professional assistance, and appropriate treatment methods in addressing psychological issues. Travis's psychological breakdown could have led to a different outcome with early intervention and professional therapy.

In conclusion, Taxi Driver is an intriguing film both in terms of its narrative and its main character. It's a film that definitely deserves a chance to be watched and appreciated.

Year of Production: 2022

Genre: Psychological Horror

Director: Parker Finn

IMDb Rating: 6.5/10

Letterboxd Rating: 2.9/5

My Thoughts on the Film

While Smile is filled with horror film clichés and jump scare scenes, I can say that it successfully manages to draw the audience into the story. Although I'm not particularly fond of horror films, I want to mention that I enjoyed this film due to its atmosphere and fluidity. If you're not too bothered by bloody scenes, I recommend giving this film a chance and watching it.

Summary

Doctor Cotter is a therapist working in an emergency psychiatric service. The events unfold when Laura, a doctoral candidate, is brought to therapist Cotter's attention. Laura claims to have seen something resembling a person, but no one believes her. What she claims to see is something that uses people's faces as masks and smiles at Laura. During the session, things take a turn for the worse, and the events become more complex. According to Doctor Cotter, Laura was experiencing paranoid delusions. However, when Cotter starts experiencing the same hallucinations, things take an interesting turn. From this point on, the story focuses entirely on Cotter. As Rose Cotter goes through tense moments, she becomes determined to uncover the truth behind the phenomenon, as it negatively affects both her relationship with her fiancé and her surroundings. As a result, we not only learn about Cotter's traumatic past but also gather information about the cause of the hallucinations through a series of interconnected incidents.

Year of Production: 2022

Genre: Drama

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins

STORY

The film revolves around Charlie, an online English teacher who provides remote education. Charlie is portrayed as a man weighing 270 kilograms, suffering from health problems and having abandoned his daughter and wife years ago. Having lost his boyfriend in the past, Charlie now lives alone in the house they used to share. Liz, a nurse and his supportive friend, frequently visits him. Lately, Charlie has started reconnecting with his daughter and makes efforts to get to know her better and rebuild their relationship.

ANALYSIS (Spoiler Alert)

Our main character, Charlie, never leaves the house. He confines himself to the edge of the couch, the bathroom, and the bedroom. His only connection to the outside world is through the online classes he teaches. Years ago, he left his wife and daughter for another man, and after that man's death, Charlie began living alone, allowing his weight to spiral out of control. Charlie, who experiences health problems related to obesity and has an obsession with an essay his daughter wrote about "Moby Dick" years ago, finds solace in reading it whenever he feels close to death, either by himself or to others. Despite his health issues, he refuses to go to the hospital and continues to exhibit excessive eating behaviors. He struggles to move and requires support for most physical activities. The film's narrow format makes it easier for the audience to empathize with a large body like Charlie's. Alongside the physical suffering Charlie endures, the psychological drama is strongly felt throughout the story. However, the story offers more than just the painful journey of a man who becomes obese after trauma; it does so through the lens of the father-daughter relationship. Realizing he is nearing death, Charlie attempts to reach out to his daughter. Successfully luring her home with promises of money and help with her assignments, Charlie seeks to rebuild a connection with her. Beneath his weight of over 270 kilograms, Charlie possesses a gentle and compassionate spirit. Seeing his daughter for the first time in years allows us to witness this side of him. Charlie has been saving money for his daughter for years and even refuses to spend it on his own health. Despite his efforts, his rebellious teenage daughter fails to appreciate what he does. Even her mother holds negative views about her, but Charlie, in contrast to everyone else, tries to see the goodness within his daughter. He is even accused of being overly positive by his ex-wife. Charlie considers his daughter's essay on "Moby Dick" to be the best piece he has ever read in his life, leading him to believe that she will be a good writer. He wants to prove this to her as well. After Ellie reconciles Thomas, the missionary, with his family, Charlie becomes convinced that his daughter is a good person. Knowing he has done one thing right in his life, Charlie values his daughter above all else. He feels guilty and therefore cares deeply about Ellie's future. As he realizes he is nearing the end of his life, in the final scene of the film, Charlie achieves what he desires. His daughter reads the essay she wrote years ago aloud to him, and Charlie finally finds peace.

Title: Whiplash

Year of Production: 2004

Genre: Drama

Director: Damien Chazelle

Actors: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons

STORY

Whiplash follows the story of Andrew Neiman, a young drummer who gets accepted into the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory. There, he meets Terence Fletcher, a teacher with a harsh demeanor who serves as the conductor of a jazz orchestra. After Fletcher brings him into the orchestra, events unfold as Fletcher uses psychological and physical abuse to push his students towards a pursuit of musical perfectionism. Over time, Andrew begins to be affected by Fletcher's extreme methods and begins to use the same techniques himself. This negatively impacts both his music career and personal life. In short, the film portrays Andrew's struggle to develop his musical talent despite the exhausting training by Fletcher.

The Perfectionist Tyrant

Fletcher is an incredibly perfectionist character and equally ruthless tyrant. What is perfectionism? In short, perfectionism is often defined as setting difficult standards for oneself or others, striving constantly to meet these standards, and avoiding mistakes. Perfectionism can lead to positive results in many areas, such as helping to produce high-quality work. However, excessive perfectionism can also have negative consequences. For example, individuals can become overly critical of themselves and others or experience constant stress in various areas. Fletcher tries to reach his own definition of perfectionism, using violence, insults, and hours of hard work on his students. He tries to create high-quality work, but this leads to negative results for himself and his students.

The Perfectionist Drummer

Andrew's involvement in Fletcher's orchestra creates a chance to be the best in his field. Fletcher's bullying behavior drives Andrew to reach the highest level of perfectionism. Andrew also desires to be the best of himself, just like Fletcher. He breaks up with his girlfriend to focus on his drumming and practices until his fingers bleed. He even goes to the concert with injuries from a car accident. Because he refuses to give up his place in the orchestra. All these efforts eventually pay off. Andrew's fantastic drum solo at the end of the film is proof that their unconventional pursuit of perfectionism has led to a high-quality work.

CREDITS