Watching movies can be relaxing during a weekend or holiday, but it can also be a way to learn about other cultures, their customs and geopolitical situations.
So when my Iranian friend recommended the movie 'My Brother Khosrow', I was curious to watch it.
The movie begins with Fahnaida, an elderly woman and her younger brother, Khosrow, driving to their brother’s house, 'Nasser', a dentist who lives in the capital with his wife and Son. We learn that 'Khosrow' is not well and has to take medication and that his sister, who is the main caregiver, has to leave him with Nasser as she has to visit her daughter in another state.
We see 'Khosrow' being cheerful, waking up very early in the morning to make breakfast for the family and being charming and talkative when Nasser meets with his friends for dinner.
Things gradually escalate when Khosrow starts to refuse his medications, becomes aggressive, breaking the furniture and screaming, which leads Nasser to seek help from the psychiatric hospital so Khosrow can be admitted for a few days, but the doctors see no need for admission.
Nasser becomes too frustrated, decides to mix more medicine in Khosrow’s food, and ties him up to the bed while he is asleep which puts him in coma and leads to become over-sedated and admitted to intensive care. The film ends with Khosrow being driven back to the care of his sister.
The movie was able to explore themes of mental illness, family responsibility and societal perceptions of a person living with bipolar disorder and how others struggle or fail to empathise.
Khosrow’s brother’s irritation, frustration and harsh behaviour is not because he is a villain, but because he was emotionally distant to understand his experience.
In the movie, the mental health system seems to fail patients and caregivers, as inpatient admission was denied when the patient’s behaviour became too difficult to manage at home.
This actually takes place in real live, as family members who request admission are sometimes judged for wanting to dispose of the patient and 'dump them in the hospital'.
This leads caregivers to feel shame and more stigma. The movie also shows how the short periods of happiness experienced by the patient are an escape from the harsh reality that he would never be able to hold a job, get married or have his own family, that he would always need to be cared for.
This is not always true for people with mental illness, as some, with the help of medications and doctor’s appointments, can live a normal life and achieve their potential just like all of us.
It is the duty of the health system and the whole society to make sure that a person with mental illness doesn’t suffer from exclusion and discrimination.
In my opinion, the movie 'My Brother Khosrow' provided a realistic reflection on the burden of mental illness on the whole family and the consequences of replacing compassion with judgment.
It challenges viewers to re-examine their beliefs about people with mental illness and open the discussion for further actions to include them and preserve their dignity.
The writer is a senior consultant psychiatrist at SQU Hospital
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