Although the excitement of the year's Toronto International Film Festival ended last month, the people behind TIFF continue to bring the magic of movies to a select audience. In the Acute Care Unit in the Department of Psychiatry at Toronto General Hospital, patients are getting help and inspiration from weekly movie screenings.
They are taking part in a program called Reel Comfort, jointly run by TIFF and the department. “What we really want to do with clients is find any way to ease their burden, to give them some distraction from whatever it is they're struggling with, whether that's hallucinations, depression, whatever,” says Jennifer Gibbins-Muir, a registered social worker in the Department of Psychiatry.
Now in its third year, Reel Comfort evolved out of a chance discussion between one of TIFF's programmers and Dr. Anna Skorzewska, head of the department's Acute Care Unit. As they talked about what they did for a living, there was a light-bulb moment when both realized that film, already used as means for encouraging dialogue on mental illness, could also be a powerful tool for helping patients struggling with mental illness to develop creative expression.
“Film is one of the most accessible art forms. It appeals to so many cultures and ages,” says Emily Scheer, manager of special projects and outreach, TIFF. “It's a portal, an easy way to bring up topics, explore an issue, relate to an experience.”
Before each week's screening, playbills announcing the film line the hallways of the 32-bed unit. Then, just before 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, patients interested in catching a matinee migrate to a screening room, where popcorn and drinks are served.
“We try to set it up as much like a theatre as possible,” says Ms. Gibbins-Muir.
There are more than fifty titles in Reel Comfort's movie library, and the number is increasing. “We worked with the hospital staff to come up with a list of appropriate titles,” Ms. Scheer says. “Favourite themes are the underdog, films that are uplifting, anything that makes them feel positive.”
Recent screenings have included Touching Wild Horses, Akeelah and the Bee, Breakfast with Scot and the popular classic Sound of Music, which is high in demand despite a nearly three-hour run time.
The program's goals are consistent: to provide simple, fun entertainment, and to act as a launching pad for discussion and personal development.
“They feel like they're being recognized, and their confidence builds when they ask questions in that environment. It can be a step forward, a touch point for staff when doing one-on-one later, by bringing up moments in the film,” Ms. Scheer notes.
“I think some of most valuable feedback we've gotten after showing a film was when we showed Juno,” says Ms. Gibbins-Muir. “One of our patients had had similar experience, so she could identify with becoming pregnant at a very young age and then having to make that very difficult decision. She said it was hard to go back to that, but at same time she was able to find the humour in the story and she said, ‘You know, I wish I'd had the support the protagonist did, and had I had that support, the acceptance, maybe my situation might have been different.' That was one of the powerful outcomes. And just yesterday, during the same film, one of our patients said, ‘This is the first time I've laughed in weeks, and laughed with joy.' ”
Once a month, TIFF also brings in a guest speaker – an actor, a director or a screenwriter – connected to the movie on the playbill. A TIFF moderator, often Ms. Scheer, and hospital staff are on hand for the event, which features a Q&A following the film. Past guests have included directors Laurie Lynd and Mike McGowan.
“My role is to facilitate discussion between the patients and the guest, and work through anything that goes on in that process – whether it's that nobody's talking or someone's talking too much,” Ms. Gibbins-Muir says
Also once a month, TIFF runs a workshop during which film-industry professionals provide hands-on training for claymation or flip-art films, or demo special effects such as make-up or sound effects.
Myra Maroto, an occupational therapist in Toronto General's Department of Psychiatry, assists patients to get the most out of Reel Comfort's workshops.
“There was one woman who had quite an extensive history of trauma – she had a hard time expressing herself to other members of the team. She came to one of our workshops, which was doing an actual short film involving claymation. And she did some work which, in an artistic, creative way, expressed the struggle she had gone through. In the end she found it very therapeutic.”
The program has been well received and TIFF is in the process of developing a similar pilot program for St. Michael's Hospital.
“Everyone saw the reason for it, but we didn't realize it would be as successful as it is,” says Ms. Scheer. “Patients are so appreciative of TIFF doing this for them – they're one of most disenfranchised groups. And to be invited to participate in something like this can be such a mix of excitement and anticipation, and also a feeling of disbelief – like, in mental health, why is this opportunity available to me?” says Ms. Gibbins-Muir.
