Borderline Personality Disorders

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Borderline Personality Disorders

Have you ever wondered why some characters in a film possess different moods, like being happy at some times and being extremely sad the next moment? Well, it is because some of them suffer from mental conditions. Mental disorder is a common theme that is almost present in all horror movies. There are a variety of mental disorders that are prominent in films, but Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the major mental health conditions in horror movies. According to Gulli and Davidson, Borderline personality disorder (BPD) “is a mental disorder that is characterized by disturbed and unstable interpersonal relationships and self-image, along with impulsive behavior, unstable mood, and suicidal behavior” (Par. 1). Stephen King’s “Misery” is one of the horror movies that involves a writer suffering in the hands of a woman, Annie Wilks (King). Wilks is a middle-aged woman who is a nurse by profession. She follows Paul Sheldon, the writer who also happens to be her favorite author, rescuing him from a snowstorm and nursing him to regain his health. However, she holds Paul Sheldon captive so that he writes a story for her. After reading the story, she realizes that Sheldon had murdered Misery, her favorite character and due to this, she forces him to write again and bring Misery out of her death. Annie Wilks is a good example of a character in the film “Misery” who possesses the Borderline Personality Disorder as she is fascinated in finding her favorite artist but later forces him to bring Misery from death, a process that is conducted under painful and violent deadline.

One characteristic of Borderline Personality Disorder is extreme mood swings. According to Gulli and Davidson, Borderline personality disorder (BPD) “is a mental disorder that is characterized by “unstable moods” (Par. 1) and this is evident from the reviews. According to Canby, “Annie puts the loon back into lunatic. Though overweight, she possesses a sweet-natured prettiness that makes her violent mood swings all the more scary. One minute she’s telling Paul how much she loves his mind and his creativity. At the next, she is taking a sledgehammer to his already mangled feet” (P.3, Par. 2). Annie is sometimes happy about Paul’s mind and work, but the moment she discovers that her favorite character in the play “Misery” is dead, she forgets about the fantastic nature of Paul’s mind and runs into a psychotic fit. Then, she calls Paul, “Just another lying old dirty birdie!” (Par. 4) The sudden changes in her moods are a clear depiction that she is suffering from a borderline personality disorder. We also get to know that previously, when she rescued Paul from the Snowstorm, she was happy, taking him as her patient and nursing her; however, all these changes all of a sudden, and she decides to make Paul her captive. According to Canby, “He might easily have died, but he’s rescued by a brusque, resourceful woman named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who digs him out, takes him home, nurses him back to health, and then is outraged to learn he has killed off Misery” (Par. 3). She suddenly changes from a heroine to a villain, and this is illustrated by her actions of holding a sledgehammer to his feet, which had already suffered lots of injuries. Through this depiction, Annie is shown to have two different personalities, one full of anger and another filled with happiness and goodhearted. With these sudden changes in her personality, Annie is a good example of a character suffering from a borderline personality disorder.

The film devices and techniques in the scene where Annie takes the sledgehammer to threaten Paul helps in emphasizing the extreme and sudden change in moods. The low camera angle is one of the film devices used in the scene. According to Gocsik et al., a low angle shot is “shot from below the viewer’s eye level upward” (196). A low camera angle creates the effect as if the viewers are eye witnessing the incidence as they are looking up the hammer as Annie lifts it up to sledge Paul. The low camera angle is taken when she prepared to smash Paul with the heavy sledgehammer and since Paul is weak in bed, it portrays a merciless Annie who has control over a bedridden man. Despite being in control, she is also unable to control her rage, and this is what had led her to amputate Paul’s thumb and later in the evening sing happy birthday to him. Through these actions, it is clear that Annie has no control over her emotions and acts according to what her emotions are commanding her to do. By the cameraman shooting at a low angle, it helps in amplifying Annie’s action making her bigger and scarier than when taken in the normal camera angle. The magnification also intends to imply the magnitude of the rage that she has over Paul for making her favorite character die. Another film devise used in the film scene is the close-up camera shot. As defined by Gocsik et al., a close-up shot refers to “a zoomed-in shot that focuses on a particular object” (203). In the scene, the amplified shot focuses on Annie’s face along with the sledgehammer’s head, which makes them appear huge than normal. With the zoomed shot, we are able to see the emotions as expressed by Annie’s face as the facial expressions say it all, she is in rage with Paul, and she wants him to rectify the slight mistake of letting her favorite character die, she wanted her back. Also, through the zoomed shot, the audience is able to see when Annie gets angry and the reaction Paul has towards Annie’s aggression. Annie’s eyes get wider, with her voice becoming louder, and it can be seen with no doubt that she is angry (Misery). Since Paul has no control and he is unable to defend himself, he is left with no option rather than to cooperate. The zoomed camera shot also shows the facial expression by Paul which is full of fear. The two major techniques used in the film scenes have played a crucial role in portraying Annie’s character that is as a result of her borderline personality disorder.

In conclusion, Annie from Stephen King’s “Misery” has a borderline personality disorder and this can be attributed to the many factors in the film from her facial expressions, reactions, actions as well as problem-solving skills. Annie has a personality disorder in which she is possessed with famous people, and this is why she follows Paul without his knowledge. However, her secret follow-up was useful in that she helped save Paul from the snowstorm that had overturned his car. She took him with her and nursed him to his recovery. However, she suddenly changes her moods, from being a caring person to a monster who injures Paul as she amputated his thumb. She does not only turn into a villain by cutting Paul’s thumb but also uses a sledgehammer to threats. On some occasions, she is so peaceful, and one event is after cutting Paul’s thumb, she forgot and came back in the evening to sing happy birthday. Through this, it is clear that Annie doesn’t understand who she is as she is controlled by her emotions. The film devices and techniques used to illustrate these sudden mood changes include low camera angles and the close-up shot that enables the audience to see the action clearly as if they are the victims. It is through these devices that we learn of the sudden changes in facial expression that Annie had which were indications of rage. Annie’s extreme shifts in moods are a perfect example of an individual suffering from a borderline personality disorder, and this is in line with the major theme of mental disorders in horror films.

Works Cited

Canby V. Review/Film; A Writer Who Really Suffers. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://nyti.ms/29uXTSJEbert, Roger. Film Review of Misery by Rob Reiner. RogerEbert.com, 30 November 1990.

Gocsik, Karen M., et al. Writing about Movies. 4 th ed., New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2016. King, Stephen. Carrie. New York: Anchor Books, 1974. Print.

Guilli, Laith Farid, and Tish Davidson. Borderline Personality Disorder. The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, edited by Laurie J. Fundukian, 4th ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2011, pp. 719-723. Gale Virtual Reference Library. http://link.galegroup.com.hindscc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/CX1919600284/GVRL?u=mag_c_magn0107&sidGVRL&xid=8b26f06e.

King, Stephen. Misery. New York: Pocket Books, 1987. Print.

Misery. Dir. Rob Reiner. Perf. James Caan, Kathy Bates, and Richard Farnsworth. Castle Rock Entertainment, 1990. Film.