SnoopyStyle Helen Leonard (Ashley Judd) is a talented pianist and university instructor. She has a great second husband David (Goran Visnjic) and teenage daughter Julie (Alexia Fast). She is fascinated with student Mathilda (Lauren Lee Smith). She is racked with anxiety and gets hospitalized where she finds Mathilda. Dr. Sherman (Alberta Watson) is her therapist. After struggling back home, she tries suicide and gets sent back to the psych ward. She finds solace with fellow patient Mathilda and eventually goes off to live with her.Ashley Judd certainly tries hard to do some big time acting. Quite frankly, the acting is perfectly good. Lauren Lee Smith has a good role. However the movie has too many slow moving quiet scenes. It doesn't move enough to be compelling. It is a slow tired depressing watch. It's probably realistic but I've never liked watching depressed characters. They're a downer and this movie is a downer, too.

rooprect At first I didn't like this movie a whole lot. As other reviewers have already pointed out, it's merciless in its stereotypical portrayal of people: every character in the movie is a royal jerk except for the 2 depressed people, and it gives the impression that all doctors are cold-hearted sadists, all spouses are selfish psychos, and people in general are totally apathetic.But hold on...Then it suddenly dawned on me, duh, that's exactly how one views the world when one is in the throes of depression. I believe it wasn't the filmmakers' intent to make an objective film. I think they were out to show us a somewhat skewed perspective through the eyes of a depressed person. At that, it's very successful.So yes, this is a depressing movie. It's dark. It's irritating. It makes you feel like the world is a sucky place. But if, for some bizarre reason, you want to know what it's like to be depressed, then this is the movie for you.I can't say that I "enjoyed" it (I'm no masochist!) but I can say that it's very well made, with excellent acting, effective cinematography (good use of focus & blurring), and a fitting musical score. Just as "Peewee's Big Adventure" takes us into the mind of a manically happy person with its cartoon colours and bouncy pace, "Helen" shows us the opposite side of the coin with its darkness, bleached visuals and monotonous presentation. If you want to know what it's like to be bipolar, I suppose you could watch the 2 movies back to back.Movies like this: "House of Sand and Fog" (or as I like to call it, "House of Sand and Why Don't We Just Slit Our Wrists and Save Ourselves the DVD Rental Fee") and "Leaving Las Vegas". All of these are excellent films. But wow, hide the sharp metal objects before viewing.

rps-2 As a survivor of severe clinical depression --- yes, it can be a killer --- I had a special interest in this film. I could relate to much of it. Yet I'm not sure I would recommend it to someone in the middle of depression. It is very much a "downer." Indeed my wife's comment was "I don't want to look at it. I've been through it." Having said that it is an extremely well executed film in all regards. Someone without any history of depression might not understand it or might think it exaggerates. To someone like myself, it was all too realistic. To someone in the middle of depression, it could push them over the edge. Clinical depression is right behind heart disease and cancer as a killer except that its victims die of suicide. Certainly anything that focuses attention on it such as this movie is good. In addition to its horror, depression too often is a "closet" disease in which the victim feels hopelessly lonely as was evident here as Helen tries unsuccessfully to fake normalcy. (Been there...done that...) I believe this film can be useful to the family of anyone suffering depression because it illustrates the despair of the victim and the immense stress on family and professional life. But it could be dangerous for the actual victim. But thank you for tackling a subject that too often is taboo.

sharon_sf First Of All I Must Say Ashley Judd Is Superb, Playing As A Disturbed Woman. The Other Cast Is Doing A Good Job Either. This Movie Is Very Dark And Grim, And Dvid Darling's Music Really Suits The Atmosphere. The All Movie Really HAs The Look And Sound Of One Of Those European Dark Atmosphere ECM Records, So You Hardly Believe This Is American Movie, It Looks Like It Is One Of Those Heavy Scandinavian Movies, Whith American Actors. There Is A Lot Of Suspense In This Movie And Gllomy Atmospher. The Story Itself Might Not Be Suitable For Many People, Since It Deals With Subject Most People Don't Like to Face Or To Know About, But For Those Who Would Like To See, It Will definitely Hold Them Until The Last Moment. In Total Very Good Movie For Those Who Would Want To See It, And Know Ahead About What This Movie Is All About.