Christopher Casey: Because Robin Williams did so much great work in his career, its hard to pick any one portrayal as a favorite. But the role he played in the seminal classic Good Will Hunting will always remain close to my heart. Thanks to a powerful and convincing script by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Williams was in a position to breathe life into a character rarely portrayed in cinema: a therapist who operates primarily on heart and intuition, and not on any specific therapeutic approach or technique. Moreover, he is not worried about always maintaining the traditional rigid and strict boundaries between counselor and client. He self-discloses and reveals vulnerable parts of himself, not in some narcissistic, self-absorbed fashion, but because he is desperate to break through and reach this troubled soul. He knows that he is taking risks, but he also knows instinctively that a conventional approach is never going to work. In the light of todays events, watching the scene below necessarily involves added emotional baggage, as all of his performances will, at least until the shock passes. For many, they will never be able to view him on screen again without confronting the painful realization of how his life tragically and painfully came to a close. Sadly, the twin scourges of addiction and damaged mental health continue to grow unchecked in our society along with the increase in social, class and economic inequality. Yet as others have already pointed out, Robin Williams was not dealing with financial pressures, but rather with a deep-seated depression that fueled his history of addiction and substance abuse. Money and fame do not immunize us from anxiety, depression, or a profound spiritual malaise. One always hopes that a high profile tragedy such as this might have some positive side-benefit in the real world (such as an increase in mental health funding), but given the short-term memory of our elected representatives following one horrific school shooting after another, that is probably not a terribly realistic silver-lining to be clinging to in this case. It is your fault that we loved your groundbreaking comedic style, Robin Williams, and the person behind the brilliantly manic humor. And it is your fault that you chose to depart this planet by potentially modeling suicide to others down the road who feel they cannot find any way out, and might feel it is their only choice as well. And on some other level, its not your fault as well, kiddo.....May God rest your immortal soul. As to what dreams may come, may they help your soul continue to evolve and heal.... youtube/watch?v=UYa6gbDcx18
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 04:04:00 +0000
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