PechaKucha Presentation
Media + Mental Health
Mental health in the media has historically been portrayed with a big stigma. Shows like 13 Reasons Why tend to cause more harm than good on people who suffer from mental illnesses because of their reckless portrayal on topics like suicide and depression. However, the way that Euphoria depicts mental illness; in particular addiction is very nuanced and from a compassionate lens that is not always clear in mass media.
The main character, Rue is very young. Which makes it easier for viewers to relate and feel sympathy for a young girl who has experienced much trauma. In the show, A lot of the scenes full of color and radiance come in front of the fact that she is high and her perception is altered. Scenes that seem devoid of color are usually because Rue is sober or not present.
Sam Levinson, the creator talks about how addiction and struggling with getting clean is much harder when you are young because not much has been lost to drugs yet. In the show, Rue is parallel to Ali who is much older and has lost so much more due to substance abuse.
The show walks a thin line between abstract fantasy and harsh, cruel realism. The point of the show is not to glorify drug use, but to show a raw, vulnerable side that can be best told from the POV of a young girl since society does not often sympathize with addicts. It opens the dialogue for conversations on drug dependence and mental health while also being this dichotomy of dark/light, beautiful yet ugly, and walking the thin line between realism and abstract art.
PWP: Cinema + Mental Health_ Euphoria