Rain Man And A Beautiful Mind Analysis

Rain Man and A Beautiful Mind are both compelling movies that explore the struggles related to mental disorders. Rain Man is the story of Charlie Babbitt’s discovery of his long-lost brother, Raymond, and their touching and eventful journey together. Charlie Babbitt is a car-dealer in his mid-twenties when he receives a phone call informing him that his estranged father has passed away. Charlie had a poor relationship with his father. He was a rebellious child and following his mother’s death when he was sixteen years old, he ran away from home to live in California. After receiving the news that his father passed away, Charlie returns to his hometown, Cincinnati Ohio. There, Charlie learns that his father left him with a Buick Roadmaster convertible …show more content…
In Rain Man, Rayman is affected by autism. Autism is a mental disorder, commonly detected in early childhood, that impairs an individual’s ability to communicate and interact with others. It is often accompanied with a unique ability with numbers. In A Beautiful Mind, John Nash suffers from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder, often detected in an individual’s early adult years, that hinders an individual’s ability to think and behave clearly. The common symptoms include hallucinations, anxiety, and social isolation. There are many differences and similarities the movies portray between the two psychological disorders. Both psychological disorders impede upon an individual’s ability to interact with others. This commonly leads to social anxiety and seclusion. These symptoms are especially apparent with autism. This may be a result of the early onset of the disorder. In the case of Raymond, he experienced symptoms early on during his childhood. As a result, he was sent to a mental institution where he was secluded from society. A way for Raymond to feel comfortable and safe was his method of many rituals. In other words, Raymond has a specific way he likes everything and when something disrupts his rituals, he acts out. For example, Raymond refuses to sleep on a bed that is not adjacent to a window. On the other hand, Nash did not experience symptoms of schizophrenia until he was a young adult. Moreover, he was able to make some friends while attending Princeton University. However, once Nash’s symptoms initiated, he had constant hallucinations and delusions, breaking him away from reality. For example, Nash imagined himself working undercover for the government in an attempt to decode certain messages from the Russian government. In addition, Nash hallucinated having a roommate at Princeton University. Both of these extremely influential disorders have some treatments however there is