The X-Men universe gets a lot of flak but it's always been one of my favorite superhero franchises because it has some really important messages about ableism, disability, neurodivergence, and mental health. Even if the movies aren't perfect.

You're underrated. This is a very good analysis and I agree. I wouldn't call the movie GREAT, but I had a really good time with it.

I've always wanted to see a movie shot early on as a horror movie set in a mental health facility. The orderly warns the protag about the patients, the threats they are, etc... And it's thrown out as soon as we get the protag alone with these "monsters"...and it becomes clear they're just people. They're people who deserve respect and love, and are being mistreated by a staff that lacks the resources to help these people properly. And even the "villains" are humanized to be people who wanted to do good and just... Everything was against them. Sort of a warning that neither side is being given a fair shot and needs help. The woman suffering from BPD isn't a dangerous monster who wants to eat your skin... And the orderly medicating her is doing what he's told because the management doesn't have the time or resources to help her properly and he's discouraged from fighting. A twist on the "the mentally ill are dangerous and mental institutions are bad!!" Trope to be more "Nobody here has a chance and they all deserve better"

"And so can you" That choked me up, I didn't expect that.

This whole channel is criminally undersubbed! Kick ass work man! Keep it up!! As a wounded US Combat veteran, i can attest to the suffocating weight of survivor guilt. Its incredibly easy for it to get away from someone who doesn't have help.

I survived abuse from a psychiatric hospital. Thank you for making this video. It seems nobody is willing to talk about this idea of abuse in the mental health system.

I came to this channel for your Animorphs videos. I'm staying for content like this that offers a take on a movie that I didn't have when I saw it, but makes me kind of want to go back and rewatch said movie and look at it from a new angle. Also, I too enjoyed Iron Man 3.

I'm actually all for treating mental asylums as horror settings... in this type of narrative. The type where they show how inhuman the old practices are and how they have no place in treating trauma and mental health stuff nowadays. I'm not sure how the psychiatric wards work in general, but here where I live (Brazil) there has been a huge effort and movement into avoiding institutionalization precisely because it was used to subdue, lobotomize, and abuse people dealing with mental health issues that needed space to express themselves and heal. I watched the movie "Nise" that shows a little of the early challenges faced by Nise de Oliveira when trying to treat patients more humanly and, as much as I'd like to recommend you watch it, it's... Brutal. Thank you for the video!

I haven't finished the video, but wanted to say that I also liked the PTSD parts of Iron Man 3 cause it felt like they actually tried to have some kind of human reaction (ie holy shit that was A LOT and it'll take a while to process) to what happened instead of ignoring that. Like in action and animation, reactions to something make it feel more real, and make the characters seem more real.

Did I cry watching this? Yup. Did this help me think about my trauma constructively today? Yes. I'm really appreciative of finding these videos. They're fun, and interesting, and honest. I hope you're doing well, and I hope to see more of your future content 😊

Adding another slight layer of "oh god why" to Ilyana's trauma was depicted in the manner it was-- the majority of her core trauma happened when she was a (horribly) young child. Her memories of that trauma pared down to the bare minimum that she was able to recall 'safely' (i.e. what she could remember of it that let her function) and, being clearly a very imaginative child (aside from the mutant powers), it would make perfect sense that the visual representation of her trauma is an abstract, objectively terrifying thing. Because she was a child and her abusers were monsters, defined by the masks they wore and the terror they made her feel. So that very core concept being brought to "life" by Dani's psionic abilities would translate into a predatory monster.

Appreciate this video. I really enjoyed New Mutants and this is a great analysis. The portrayals of the characters were really spot on, excellent cast. I didn't so much mind the slower pacing from other superhero movies. I think one of the things I like about New Mutants as a comic is the character interactions; as Wildside who joined them on a recent mission in the comics said, "Is this all you guys do? Stand around talking. It's boring." Well, I don't actually think it's boring, I think a lot of character moments happen while they are conferring about the problems at hand (but also if Cypher is involved of course there is going to be a lot of talking). Thank you for the video, as a long time sufferer of depression it's great to see mental health resources being promoted like this!

I've never been in a mental institution, but I have been in jail. I don't think I would've made it through as well as I did if I didn't have my cellmates.

Ok this video is WILDLY good, holy shit Really glad to be getting in on the ground floor

I went into in patient at hospitals for suicide attempts. There are a lot of things I can't perceive or understand, but it was very clear even to me that the hospital staff were NOT there to help the patients. They would hold useless group meetings that would have some irrelevant and very general topic that a staff member would talk about and it couldn't be anymore tone deaf and distant from the actual problems and issues the patients were suffering from. In patient wasn't a place to heal or feel safe, it was a prison, a holding cell, you were forced to stay in there, bored out of your mind, against your will until you pretended well enough to the doctors that you weren't a threat to yourself or others. They didn't care about helping you. All they cared about was compliance. I saw a woman get sedated with drugs and staff literally holding her down and then strapped to a bed to make sure she didn't hurt others or herself, but in reality, she was just upset or didn't want to do what the staff were ordering her to and they chose to restrain her for it. I got out relatively quickly because I'd been placating and being an emotional nanny/slave for abusers all my life and here was no exception. Staff like good little boys who agree with everything you say, and do anything you command them to. I forgot to mention more that there was basically no entertainment there either. They had one T.V., some old 90s board games, and pretty much nothing else. So you were bored out of your mind, with people who only cared about controlling you, and couldn't leave until they said so. What I said about the in-patient hospitals I was in applies to my several years of experience with the mental health profession. Uncaring therapists, psychiatrists, and psychologists who see patients as nothing but a paycheck. They don't want to help you, they want you coming back week after week, giving them your money. I used to say something as a teenager that I think is still true-that psychiatrists would address the symptoms with pills and talking, but never the root problem, maintaining a never ending loop where the patient receives no help, yet is encouraged to keep attending sessions and buying more pills. The most helpful advice I got was one giving me a breathing technique, which is to say, useless. One of my trips to the hospital for attempted suicide, I felt like shit, exhausted, could barely move and talk. The doctor threatened they would send me to an insane asylum if I wasn't compliant, which as a teenager terrified me.

I’ve not been institutionalised personally but I’ve seen the effects good and bad institutions can have and even the good places have problems. I had a friend who went in for autism, ADD and anger management and came out with all that but also an eating disorder agoraphobia, intense social anxiety and had become almost nonverbal. I’ve also been friend who I learned wired for a sectioned unit and the way he talked about patients disgusted me. He called his fists anti-psychotics and basically viewed patients as figuing oponints because he was a larking sword bro type. I’ve even had been restarted myself a few times and seen friends restrained be restrained when we weren’t a threat to ourselves or others as a way of controlling us because the person doing it knows it’s more socially acceptable to to that to an “out of control autistic person” it doesn’t even have to be during a meltdown I once got restrained when trying to report abuse and I could have easily won the fight but it puts you in the powerless position on being assaulted or assaulting someone you care about and knowing people will take their side.

The big thing that I loved about this video is how you mention the pain or ick you get when they use mental illness as cheap horror to show violence or danger. Growing up watching movies with my movie buff of a dad, when asylums were used as mediums for horror I never understood because the mentally ill never scared me it just made me horribly sad Like all I could think was if these people are put away cuz their minds aren't right why do movies go so far out of the way to say they are evil wrong and we should be afraid of people like that, it always just made my stomach turn.

I was in a psych ward during the height of the pandemic. We barely had any interaction with the outside world. During that time I lost all non familial relationships in my life. But in the psych ward you'd always see the kids being there for each other whereas the staff barely was. Whenever someone was going through something the staff would have a 'what do you want me to do about it' attitude but the other patients were always there, sometimes talking, sometimes offering water or tissues, or just being there. Thank you so much for making this video. People need to hear this.

Can’t wait to watch this channel grow, we’re already starting in such a great place C:

Glad to see new mutants actually used a real Native American actor with Blu Hunt when some media like Fargo still uses Asian actors as stand ins for indigenous roles

I think you hit this spot on. And what I think is interesting is that isolation isn't just an issue with mental illness-it's very often an issue with invisible physical disabilities. Especially the… I don't know, behavior pattern(?), where people are gung-ho to help and be there and "sure anything you need" until they realize that the kid with the knee and back deformities isn't suffering from a broken leg that will get better in six weeks and a cast being cut off. That it's (usually, and in my case it is) a life time thing. People are so willing to isolate children (before the children really even know what the hell is going on-and boy does that eff you up) by making excuses because they don't want their own kid to be around someone who could "give them a less than normal childhood" (something I over heard years ago) and parents are left filling the gaps. Which is hard on the family in a major way, more so if the adults in the family aren't able to work together (such as a divorce and I'd imagine that other kids with issues got blamed by one or both parents-I was lucky enough to never have my medical issues dragged through a divorce that would've happened anyway). It's why 2020 was… almost amusing to me? In a really "I know this is warped but I still find it funny" way. Where people were not okay with being physically isolated from others (mind you these are usually the same people I knew who had nothing wrong with turning me down because I don't keep booze in the house-college/grad students for ya) and yet didn't understand why I was… pretty much okay with being in lockdown. It wasn't fun, because on my good days the best I could do was sit in the yard instead of maybe have a close/good friend over to hang out, but my level of isolation thanks to my medical issues was probably standard fare 2020 lockdown. *Because* of my medical issues and my immuno-compromised body, I'm in lockdown longer, and much more vigorously than others were at the peak of this whole thing, and will remain in it until my doctor says I can leave. (And to anyone wondering why I'm not getting the vaccine-I'm very allergic to stuff, so until my doctor can get his hands on it ((because I've already played *that* game of telephone with an orthopedic office and a hospital with injectable dyes)) and can make sure I'm not allergic to anything in the inactive ingredients, I… basically don't wanna have my crappy, allergic, immune system kill me, while trying to not die from COVID.) Isolation is really hard. And it takes god only three or so supportive people in your life to help keep back those demons. But it's something that our society also weaponizes against people who are visibly physically disabled, or invisibly disabled (people stopped asking me to "prove it" when I was at my liberal arts college after I'd vividly describe dislocating my knee cap, it's not fun to have happen and not fun to hear. But no one should have to "prove" anything because that just isolates you more.) Great analysis of the movie. I was considering renting it and now I probably will.

I'm leaving a comment now so when your channel blows up I can look back and say I TOLD YOU SO

After watching new mutants, I liked but couldn't really Express why. Thank you for articulating that.

5:43 the only explanation I have for the big locks is the building seems to have been converted so they were originally for humans

I really hope your channel grows alot. I really appreciate these kinds of videos, they really remind me of not giving up, and keep on going, even after some past trauma. It really feels nice to see someone speaking about this, i appreciate it. Keep on making these videos, and thank you for the ones. Sorry for not really being able to explain why i like it, but, i hope this message can be good enough.

I'm glad you go out of your way to bring in knowledgeable people to expand on the topics you cover, whether to talk about Animorphs or the treatment of mental illness. I really do love your content, and I'm glad I came across it, even if at the detriment of my studies, lol.

i really appreciate how openly you speak about your own mental health and personal experiences. also i can't wait to see more videos from you they're all absolute gems.

I haven't seen this movie yet, but as someone who spent most of my childhood being abused in mental health facilities and being gaslit by everyone telling me that they were "helping" me, I may need to check this out. Thanks for shedding a light on it!

I’ve got to agree with you that popular media did make me view mental hospitals as a scary environment like a prison that was meant to isolate people with mental illnesses from everybody else. That image of mental hospitals kept me from seeking help with my mental illness for a long time because I was afraid that if I told someone they would send me to a mental hospital against my will. But if I had gone to one sooner and gotten help, I probably wouldn’t have done the self destructive things that I did and hurt the relationships I had with the people closest to me like my family. I ended up voluntarily going into a hospital to get help and things have been better since. I for another great piece of media that I think accurately depict mental illnesses (bipolar disorder specifically) I recommend an episode of Dave on FX called “Hype Man”. Dave is normally a comedy show, but I wasn’t expecting to see tackle a serious topic in such a serious tone. It’s depiction of a mental disorder really hit home for me and nearly brings me to tears because of how accurate it is. Also, the actor who plays the character with bipolar disorder is actually bipolar himself and draws his performance from real life experience.

AMAZING video - I'm off to watch everything else on your channel. The level of analysis you delved into is remarkable!

i just saw your animorphs videos and i think you are doing a great job, even when your numbers are not constant keep it going man, you are going to make it, you style is pretty cool and the content of your videos is great

Glad to be here on day one of your videos. I really enjoyed this one, thank you for putting it out there. It hits hard in the ways that I imagine you intended it to.

3 months late and only now realising this movie’s been out for a while... I feel called out

I've watched like 4 or 5 of your videos in a row today, and perusing through the comments I saw a few people talk about how you were underfollowed, and I agreed on principle, but assumed that meant you were somewhere in the 50-75k range. But holy jesus Chris are you underveiwed. You do a wonderful job on this channel, and their can never be enough perspective. Good job man

I just discovered this video, and wanted to say THANK YOU. I already loved this movie (I told people this getting a theatrical release would be the only thing that got me near a movie theater in 2020, and I did go see it. 8 people besides me, and it was amazing.), and had picked up on some of the theming, but the way you've laid out the messaging and the analysis is excellent. Looking at the film through this lens makes me love it even more.

Found you through animorphs staying for the whole thing you've got going on. You have a great voice and I always appreciate your videos and insights.

The algorithm brought me to you. The quality of your vids got you a new subscriber

dear sir: you are severely underwatched and I want you to know your videos are really thoughtful and excellent, and I have been enjoying them immensely. thankyou.

incredible video, i found your channel today and i’m so glad i did !!

Wanted to say I found you today through your animorph vids and wanted to say I enjoy and appreciate what your doing. I love seeing this kind of content where you analyze difficult topics in a way that truly reaches your viewer. Because of this video I am planning to watch new mutants for the first time. I also plan on doing more research into mental illness and it's representation.

I just discovered your channel and binged watched it every thing you are a great creator and I hope you succeed at this and stay safe and sane in these uncertain times

Dude, you're great. Looking forward to anything you do next

This was such a good breakdown. Subscribed!

Thank you for the video. I really enjoy your analytical take on mental health and I appreciate your content. Especially the animorph series. This movie also reminds me of 'A Monster Calls' addressing hard issues and has a overall grim tone but ultimately hopeful. Highly recommend that movie and also will be looking to watch this mutant movie so thank you again.

Great work as always.

What a great video. With an amazing message.

Wow... Thank you so much for this video, I haven't watched this movie, maybe I might later, but this was a really enlightening. Recently two dear friends of mine have been institutionalized and I'm having a hard time figuring out what it means, how it must be for them and how could I help them. It must be hard to speak about this, specially since it seems as something that you've had experienced (I don't want to make assumptions, though). Thank you so much for bringing at least a little bit of light into this subject that has so often been terribly depicted in media everywhere. Really great video, I wish you the best of luck with your channel! I've just subscribed and I'm happily waiting for more in the future! (Ps: sorry if my english is kinda bad, it's not my first language)

This video brought me close to tears at multiple points and I didn't expect that.

I love your videos! I hope you keep making more. Subscribed!

Stumbled upon you purely by coincidence (or youtube algorithm) and I am happy I did. These videos are rather insightful. Have a sub my friend, and a great day.

Great video essay!

This channel deserves infinitely more traffic. This video hits the nail on the head, in my opinion, as a gut punch for understanding trauma and support structures. (Also this movie is fuggin incredible, but maybe needed different matketing...)

I just watched New Mutants (mostly because of your comments about it in your Twitter feed and also because Google TV keeps suggesting it for me). I really enjoyed the movie despite the low ratings. I then watched this video (I'd watched the very beginning already but didn't want to spoil the movie). Your video really helped to put a lot of things in perspective and was very meaningful to me as my training was in clinical psychology (although I work in IT now, but for a MH company). Definitely going to suggest the movie and this video to my therapist friends.

Dammit, made me tear up. I'm working! GRRRRR! Great video, great channel.

Thank you. This is well made and incredibly well considered. I love the Bell, too. Cast from the shackles that bound them is a resounding cry

You're beyond under rated. I wish you were one of the million people

Powerful video dude

Thanks for the realness here. I spent a few days on Ward as I had very bad flashbacks of being assaulted while asleep. The first thing was to take my clothes and do a visual wound search whilst naked. Super triggering.

I went to a school that's basically a school mixed with a group home for kids with emotional issues & lived in places like Easter Seals an actual group home type setting while in grade school. They had rooms called the "quiet room" where if children acted up they would go there. On top of that, if they couldn't settle down, the staff would physically restrain the children. I do understand why these thing exist as there was 2 teachers in each classroom of 10-14 students at the school & in easter seals there were about 10 kids in the section i lived it but again we out numbered the staff watching us. Even knowing & understanding this, I'm still not okay with it cause of alot of the things you bought up in this video. Good analysis. Good video. Keep it up.

Thank you for making this video & the Joker essay.

Really cool video and channel glad I found it

Hey, just came across your channel due to The Algorithm (TM). Binged all of it and really love it. Just want to say I hope to see more stuff eventually, and I hope you're doing okay!

Damn.... that was a very powerful review.... Good work. With that knew understanding I want to watch the movie.

My only real problem with this movie was the obvious budget crunch that made the final battle look like a side scrolling video game boss fight. I was LMAO, and I don’t think that was what they were going for. I’m actually about to watch it again, so figured it might be a time to watch something like this to catch what I miss. I’m setting my own current project in the 1950s, which was before any real light was shed on this kind of institutional abuse. Robert Kennedy and, of all people, Geraldo Rivera, actually had a lot to do with that down the road a bit. But ol’ lobotoboy Walter Freeman was a busy fella during this period, so there’s that too. I hate the “You’re not really powered, just delusional” trope. HATE it. Probably my least favorite Buffy episode, for example. I don’t have any problem with what they did here.

Oh boy that last line hit me like a truck. Love you man

Pretty good work!

Awesome analysis, took me too long to watch this

your channel is superbly based. thank you for making these videos

Great video! They should teach the importance of mental health in schools. Keep up the great work!

great job l love your videos

You gave me a new appreciation for the movie.

I think your analysis of mental health institutions is better than the movie your using to make your point. The New Mutants was one step above 🚮. You are worth subscribing to and I look forward to the topics you will talk about in the future.

It makes me happy to finally see someone defend this movie.

Great job

Love these videos.Made me appreciate a movie that I wrote off originally.

Broooooo. This movie is awesome cus it speaks to the power of social support in treating mental illness. Not just meds and individual therapy. I am shook hearing about an epic movie about ptsd/trauma cus I have to agree this felt very familiar.

This was a really nice video! I really think this movie is one of those ones that gets completely misinterpreted or marketed towards the wrong demographic and then gets completely fucked in the reviews. It's certainly not perfect but I thought it was really fun and genuine and real, which is amazing with all the reshoots and delays and stuff that happened :p

Didn't check the comments to see if anyone else said this already, but Essex Corp. Isn't just a Logan reference, its a suggestion that Mr. Sinister is ultimately behind the place.

So that’s why I liked it so much.

I watched this movie yesterday with ZERO expectations and left thinking it was a good attempt at tackling tough issues. It was never going to be a happy go lucky block buster but for what it was it was fairly well done. Plus I think masie Williams and Anya Taylor joy are excellent actresses

This video goes hard

This movie wasn’t a masterpiece, but was actually pretty enjoyable and I’d love to see a continuation of the characters (as unlikely as that is)

I'm watching this 9 months later, and yeah, I didn't know it came out.

So what I'm hearing is that New Mutants actually accomplished being the movie Joker talked up itself as being but completely dropped the ball on.

this movie recently came out on Disney+ in my country so I was looking for a video on it

You say it's heavy, and it was, but I think I'll need to rewatch it. Mostly at the time I was focused on comic accuracy and racial depictions like with Dani and Roberto. Thank you.

It hurts how little views this has. Lol. I love this video.

I’m probably the only die-hard X-Men comic fan who’s read every issue of New Mutants and actually loved this movie.

5:41 the big locks should buy her time, like at least 10 seconds, to set up her orange barriers in case she's ever caught off guard (At least, that's what I would guess)

Damn. This analysis hit hard, personally. Now I really wish the movie was good. It could have done so much for the world, it could have brought issues to the forefront of public consciousness, it could have made a real difference. I mourn for what could have been.

I honestly think not many people care about this one caus we're not really that interested in this topic, but your other videos are still good

The New Mutants got a lot of hate that I don't think was very deserved. Did it have its plot holes and flaws? Sure, because what movie doesn't? But I really connected with it as someone who's experienced trauma and mental health issues, which are themes you really don't expect to get focused on in "superhero" movies. People who went into this hoping for another entertaining Marvel/X-Men flick with cool fight scenes were likely already setting themselves up for disappointment.

That was really good. Now I wanna watch a movie I had no interest in watching before.

Wait...there were people who didn't get the babadook? That movie wasn't exactly subtle about its theme. 😅

Would you be willing to analyze Hereditary? I think the mental health issues they raise are on par with the Bobadook.

So their is this dutch childrens book in wich a story teller tells ghost stories to children and it turns out that if you believe something strongly enough it comes alive. And he's almost eaten by his own creation. It's the scariest thing that anyone could have told me at that age (and maybe still)

dude im still traumatized from being locked in small closets as a child

"And so can you." That's when I broke, but thank you.

19:50 - 20:37 my heart goes *crack*

just leaving a comment to feed the algorithm,,