PIECES

Australia, 2022, 94 minutes, Colour

Monique Wilson, Alex Arco, Megan Aspinall, David Genat, Milu Green, Justin Hewitt, Jasmine Lucas, Katherine Marmion, Jasmine Lucas, John McIntosh, Dalip Sondhi, Ashanti Suriam, Allegra Teo..

Directed by Martin Wilson.

Pieces is a small budget feature film from Western Australia, featuring Perth, vistas of the city, but a focus on a centre for mental health and art therapy. The film was supported by HelpingMind and other organisations supporting mental health.

The film was written by Monique Wilson who takes the central role of a woman who runs the centre, with a grant, for art therapy for a range of people. There are five storylines within the framework. There is a depressed young woman and her supportive husband. There is a schizophrenic man who hears voices befriends a depressed girl. There is a young man, issues of sexual identity, keen on fashion, suicidal at times, clashes with his father. There is an older man, unsympathetic to mental illness and therapy, his wife with her troubles, disappearance, talent for dancing, and the young daughter. And, Alicia, the central character, has her own problems with her father and her mother’s suicide, and the angry outbursts and self-doubt of her daughter.

The situation of the film is the making of a documentary and a range of interviews with each of those at the centre, inappropriate questions, reactions, insightful questions.

The plotline moves to the various stories, intercutting them, the building up to a climax where there is damage to the centre but everybody banding together to build it up again, along with a dance music performance – and a melodramatic tragic event at the end.

The film to be recommended for those interested in therapy for those who have mental health difficulties, and the possibilities of art therapy.

1. The background of mental health therapy? The film sponsored by HelpingMinds?
2. The Perth setting, the vistas of the city, homes, workshops, the therapy centre? The musical score? The song, for dance?
3. Alicia, her home story, relationship with her father, his later mental decline, relationship with her mother, her mother’s encouragement, sensitivity, suicide? Her own mental condition? Her daughter, the conflict with Violet, reconciliations, outbursts? The background of her divorce? Her committing herself to the therapy? Her philosophy of therapy, art, grounding people, their identity? Relationships with all those at the centre? And her own personal problems?
4. Tom, the conflict with his father, outbursts, attempted suicide, his devotion to fashion, Alexander McQueen, styles, feathers, hair, clothes? His father, sympathetic, from feeling alienated? Their confrontations? Acceptance of his father, talking together, his father’s support? Bringing the power tools and helping in the cleanup? Tom and his talking with Violet, attempted suicides, support?
5. Serge, schizophrenic, hearing voices, his artwork, personality, sympathetic? Outbursts? The friendship with Emerald, her background, attacked as being self-centred, the bonding with Serge? The discussions with Alicia?
6. Cora and Lee, Cora and her depression, at home, discussions about pregnancy, ability and inability to care for a child? Lee, exasperation at home, coming to the centre, continued support of Cora?
7. Raj, Indian background, his wife, daughter, his wife’s mental illness, disappearing, found naked, inability to care for her daughter, her love for her daughter, her ability for dancing? Raj, unsympathetic, the harsh comments, dismissing mental illness, dismissing soft therapies, wanting military service…?
8. The work, the artwork, the mural, individual work, music, dance movement? The buildup to the final performance?
9. The device of filming the documentary, Raj and his interventions, the range of questions, appropriate and inappropriate, the varying responses of all those interviewed?
10. Violet, the clashes at home, the huge destruction at the centre, upending everything? Confession to her mother?
11. The group coming together to put everything in order? The issue of grants, Alicia reluctant to tell others, the reactions? Final affirmation?
12. The drama at the end, Raj, anger with his wife, Alicia and Violet, her father coming, the struggle, the shots, the father’s death?
13. The film as a way of popular audiences having some kind of appreciation of mental illness, manifestations, consequences, care, therapy, affirmation, healing?