Love and Mercy

Brian Wilson has been called a genius, often compared in importance to The Beatles and The Who in the creation of conceptual albums in the 1960's. It's a well known fact, for example, that Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson competed with each other with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Pet Sounds." In fact, McCartney considered "God Only Knows" to be the best pop song ever written. "Love and Mercy" does an amazing job demonstrating in great detail the character and amount of innovation Wilson gave to popular music. In many ways, he was a classical musician who wanted to add layers and complex arrangements to a popular form. More importantly, the film humanizes a tormented man suffering from schizoaffective disorder (a form of schizophrenia that also includes manic depression), showing the reality of his condition without succumbing to mere spectacle. 

Brian Wilson was the main songwriter of the Beach Boys, a group that was dominated in their early years by an abusive, controlling father who also acted as their manager. Wilson's father became one of the predominant voices in his head, both figuratively and literally, driving him to better his songwriting and then finally driving him to madness. The part of Wilson is divvied up between Paul Dano and John Cusack with the former playing the young version and the latter depicting the aged, recovering version. Paul Dano's performance is particularly noteworthy. He captures the subtlety of Wilson's descent into madness which starts with facial ticks and short lived voices which then progresses into paranoia and a break with reality. Cusack also does quite well being the likable but ailing Wilson in his older age. Elizabeth Banks gives one of the best performances of her career, playing Wilson's eventual wife who slowly comes to understand the depth of his illness and the terror of his treatment under a radical psychologist.     

Of all the films that I have seen portray a type of schizophrenia, "Love and Mercy" is one of the best. For one, it refuses to abide the trend arguing that mental illness is synonymous creativity and vice versa. Wilson is not a musical genius because he is schizophrenic; in fact, his brilliance and openness to new ideas is often impeded by the relentless cavalcade of distracting voices and mood changes. In all probability, he would have been more prolific without his illness. This fact is proven later as he completes his epic "Smile" album years after he started it and regained mental balance. Another notable aspect is how the film presents the symptoms of schizoaffective disorder. We are not shown a madman climbing the walls of an asylum or rampaging throughout the city. Instead, we are shown someone in a mental prison, who quietly endures hours of pathologic voices spewing negative venom at every turn. Finally, the movie presents the unfortunate connection Wilson had to a radical psychologist, played by Paul Giamatti, who overmedicated him and kept him away from his family and loved ones under the guise of treatment. This "medicine" is in contrast to current, more humane protocol which looks to involve families and friends. 

"Love and Mercy" is a very successful biopic. It made me appreciate the artistry of Wilson and helped me to understand his life and struggles. Best of all, it makes me want to dust off some Beach Boy records and listen to them with a fresh ear.