Looking at how our brains are depicted onscreen with Heather and Sarah Taylor. The Canadian sisters work in the film industry, and explore depictions of mental illness, disability, and a variety of other topics on their podcast Braaains.
Heather Taylor says often times shows can treat mental illness like a “problem of the week”.
“I feel like that’s often the case, where we’re going to introduce at the beginning of this episode, this problem is happening. We solve it by the end of the episode and we move on to the next thing. Next thing of the week.”
When representation is done well, it can make an impact on viewers, says Sarah.
“I remember watching a show where I actually felt like I saw myself and the struggles I’d had and it was very cathartic,” she said. “So to actually have representation that you can be like, ‘holy, I am not alone.’ It made such a difference to see it on screen in a way that I related to.”
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