Leila and Nick

Original title: Barfuss Country and year: Germany, 2005 Genre: romantic comedy Director: Til Schweiger Screenplay: Til Schweiger, Jann Preuss, Dina Marie Chapman, Nika von Altenstadt, Stephen Zotnowski Cast: Til Schweiger, Johanna Wokalek Medical topic: mental illness Nick Keller is an irresponsible bachelor, constantly taking on various temporary jobs that he quickly loses. He is hired at a psychiatric hospital as a janitor. There, too, he manages to last only one day. During his brief time at the facility, he manages to prevent the suicide of a 25-year-old girl, Leila, at the last moment. Leila had been held captive in her own home by her mother for 19 years. After her mother’s death, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. The years of confinement have left their mark. Mentally, Leila is still a child who fears the touch of strangers and takes everything that is said literally. She cannot bear any form of confinement, or even such a restriction of freedom as being forced to wear shoes. When Nick thwarts Leila’s suicide attempt, she escapes from the hospital and finds her savior. She comes to him barefoot, in a nightgown. Despite Nick’s objections, she decides to stay with him forever. Together, they set off on a journey to Nick’s family. The journey brings them closer together and allows each of them to learn something. The reckless Nick is forced to take responsibility for another person, while Leila learns how to function in the world “beyond the walls.” A pleasant romantic comedy that is set to receive an American remake in 2013. It is certainly not a cinematic masterpiece, but I consider it important for promoting a positive image of people with mental illness. Although awareness is growing among both medical staff and the rest of society, we still face the stigmatization of psychiatry and people with mental illness. Unfortunately, I see this in my own workplace as well, and in my opinion, the negative perception of people suffering from mental disorders has a detrimental effect on the course of treatment in non-psychiatric wards. That is why we urgently need to promote films like this, which portray people with mental illness as valuable individuals who deserve love.