Eternal Beauty

While I didn't really rate this title very highly at only 7.0 out of 10, I am bothering to review it here simply because of two things. First Sally Hawkins performance as Jane and second, because I can only be all in favour of anything that helps to raise awareness of mental health problems. I live now in Thailand where there is absolutely zero understanding of, or interest in, mental health issues. Even in Western societies today, there is STILL such a degree of misunderstanding of mental health problems that it is still common for people to think that mental illness is a fall-back excuse for sufferers' "bad" or inappropriate behavior. The cry of "just pull yourself together" is all too common even these days and even among people who should know better, with education about the matter being so readily available to anyone who cares enough to look for it. "Eternal Beauty" should be a lesson to anyone who has even a bare notion about what mental illness is. Sally Hawkins' portrayal of a young woman suffering from schizophrenia is an object lesson in how that condition affects the sufferer and those around him or her. This is not an easy movie to watch but that is really the point. It's not an easy condition to live with, either as the sufferer or as family. Sally gives yet another wonderful performance here, just as she did in "Made In Dagenham" and as the wonderful "Maudie". She has quite a distinguished career already at only 44 years of age. She has, I'm sure, an even more distinguished career ahead of her. Watch "Eternal Beauty". It's a challenging movie but very worth the effort. JMV

The movie looked good until the ending where they copped out and glossed things over for no reason Was a pretty good expose of mental health schizophrenia until the end and it became a fairy tale ending Not at all realistic to my mind

This is a good film. I was sort of misled by the trailer. I thought it was a comedy. It isn't. It definitely has some funny moments but it is a lot more than that. Having close experience with mental illness, I found this to be an excellent portrayal of schizophrenia. It was chilling and heart breaking but heartwarming at the same time.

So enjoyed this movie the acting was first class i recommend this to anyone. It isn't a comedy although there are some funny moments in it. This movie cannot be underestimated enough.

Such a different film with incredibly powerful acting by Sally Hawkins. Alternately joyful and sad and with fantastic script and direction by Craig Roberts. David Thewlis plays his role brilliantly and shows the great range of his talent - so different from his characters in Fargo and An Inspector Calls. I'll certainly watch it again and won't forget this.

Jerzy Kosinski said that. "People who label mental illness as comical are mentally ill." I said that. With that out of the way, here is my review... Excellent sets, cinematography, score, editing and writing enhanced Sally Hawkins' terrific performance. (Usually, I am unimpressed with her.) The 2 songs, "Blue Skies" and "Blood Red River," were perfect choices. If you're going into this movie in search of a laugh riot, this is not it. If you watch it and find it to be a laugh-a-thon, please seek professional help. Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

While I didn't really rate this title very highly at only 7.0 out of 10, I am bothering to review it here simply because of two things. First Sally Hawkins performance as Jane and second, because I can only be all in favour of anything that helps to raise awareness of mental health problems. I live now in Thailand where there is absolutely zero understanding of, or interest in, mental health issues. Even in Western societies today, there is STILL such a degree of misunderstanding of mental health problems that it is still common for people to think that mental illness is a fall-back excuse for sufferers' "bad" or inappropriate behavior. The cry of "just pull yourself together" is all too common even these days and even among people who should know better, with education about the matter being so readily available to anyone who cares enough to look for it. "Eternal Beauty" should be a lesson to anyone who has even a bare notion about what mental illness is. Sally Hawkins' portrayal of a young woman suffering from schizophrenia is an object lesson in how that condition affects the sufferer and those around him or her. This is not an easy movie to watch but that is really the point. It's not an easy condition to live with, either as the sufferer or as family. Sally gives yet another wonderful performance here, just as she did in "Made In Dagenham" and as the wonderful "Maudie". She has quite a distinguished career already at only 44 years of age. She has, I'm sure, an even more distinguished career ahead of her. Watch "Eternal Beauty". It's a challenging movie but very worth the effort. JMV

There are few films out there with such a perfect and wonderful view of the world, but Eternal Beauty is without doubt one of them. A unique joy from start to finish, the film is indeed a gripping and often challenging perspective on mental illness, but more a liberating, soaring story of independence and distinctiveness. With stunning performances across the board, particularly from lead actress Sally Hawkins, as well as gorgeous directing from Craig Roberts, Eternal Beauty is a hypnotic delight that will grab you from the first moment and never let you go. It's not always an easy watch, and there are times when it does briefly drag, but it's all part of a truly beautiful story. There's so much to love about this film, but its humour is without doubt the best of all. From the very beginning, Eternal Beauty is full of sharp humour that had me laughing my socks off again and again. In tandem with the film's subject matter, the comedy is in perfect taste, and fits in wonderfully with the story's central message of never being solely defined by one thing in your life. The comedy can be dark at times, it can be awkward at others, and it can be completely ridiculous at others, but the consistent thread is that it's always fantastically funny. Sally Hawkins is so lovable in the lead role that it's impossible not to laugh along with her as she deconstructs the world of 'normal' people, challenging depression as she blossoms in her own unique way. It would be so easy to make a film about mental illness and stay completely serious, only focusing on the devastation that it can cause without even a glimmer of light. Eternal Beauty isn't like that, however, and its commitment to always showing a positive turn as well as the harsh realities of its subject matter is absolutely commendable, and an example of why we should always take the time to turn around and laugh at ourselves. Craig Roberts' screenplay is so genuine and so heartfelt, much like Hawkins' spellbinding performance. From its use of humour to its candid approach to mental illness, Roberts and Hawkins are able to bring the film's core message about being independent - no matter how - to life in utterly gorgeous fashion. The film may be a bit of a rollercoaster at times, but it's first and foremost a story that will make you laugh and smile. That's not to say it avoids the harder truths of life, but it also looks at those truths, accepts them, and then looks ahead to a brighter moment in time. Right to the last moment of the film, Eternal Beauty is so passionate about its message, concluding on a note of soaring joy the likes of which I haven't seen in a very long time. It's funny, emotional and achingly beautiful from start to finish, and a gorgeous and memorable example of why humour, eccentricity and personal independence are the keys to a life that's as happy as can be.

Acting was very good at times, Hawkins especially. However, tried my best to pretend that this young director didn't simply copy David Lynch and I noted Vincent Gallo's Buffalo 66, in many parts of the film. The music, the sets, the lighting and even the cinematography. Just because you're young and inspired it shouldn't give you carte blanche on the use of other directors ideas. In saying that most won't notice and Tarantino made a very successful career of it.