Movie Tells Story of Mental Health, Poverty
Director Maya Forbes tells about her family and its struggles with depression, poverty and sex discrimination in her new film, “Infinitely Polar Bear.” The film tells about an American family and how it reacted to events – some of them humorous, and others serious – back in the 1970s.
VOA’s Penelope Poulou spoke recently with Maya Forbes about how her childhood struggles helped her become a successful film writer, producer and director.
Actor Mark Rufallo plays Cameron Stuart, a member of a once-powerful family. His ancestors had a lot of money many years ago, but now the family has very little.
Cameron Stuart has a severe mental condition. He suffers from manic depression, also known as bipolar disorder.
Maya Forbes used her family’s story as a model for the Stuarts.
“My father was manic depressive, my mother is African-American, my father was from a wealthy New England family, but we didn’t have any money. My mother wanted to send us to great schools.”
Ms. Forbes says people like her film because mental illness has affected them in some way.
She says it was not easy making a film while raising a family. But she says her childhood helped her to become independent and strong.
