Review| Fragile World
Fragile World is a 2014 Christian film from writer/director Sandy Boikian (Leaving Limbo) telling the story of an interior decorator, Rosalie (Alexa Jansson), dealing with the psychological ramifications of the loss of her father some years ago. The film keeps a steady focus on the mental struggle of coping with the loss of loved ones and how such losses manifest themselves in our lives. Jansson’s performance is moderately understated to begin the film, but once her character is confronted with her history of mental issues it becomes more dynamic and interesting. Fragile World does have some issues in my opinion with on-the-nose, unrealistic preachiness and some underwhelming performances, but it does a fair job at handling the character of both believers and unbelievers while also presenting a fair look at mental disorders and their religious/spiritual implications. (Spoilers ahead)
One of the most interesting aspects of this film is the approach taken to tell Rosalie’s story, in particular where she is at in life at this moment. We’re introduced to her as she cares for her mother who is suffering from Alzheimers. It’s a task that is visibly weighing heavy on her, and one she even finds opportunity to avoid and pass off to the in-home nurse. She appears as a shell of a person, carrying little to no excitement into her new job opportunity. Even as she meets her soon to be new best friend, Britt (Noelle Perris), she’s very off-putting and blunt. It takes a chance encounter with a handsome young man at a coffee shop before any visible signs of happiness appear. What appears visibly though, is quickly brought into question when Britt meets Rosalie’s psychologist, Logan Clay (Chad Bishop).
Dr. Clay reveals to Britt some history with Rosalie. Because doctor-patient confidentiality is for the birds. He explains that the death of Rosalie’s father resulted in a mental breakdown for her, which led to schizophrenia. Her interpretation of reality was damaged, even causing delusions to the point of imagining an entire life full of people she had never actually met. It turns out she didn’t have a husband, and in fact has never been married. For Britt, as well as for the audience, this brings into question everything we’ve seen and learned about her to this point. Did she really meet this handsome man she says she’s dating now? Is she really caring for her mother at home? What is real about Rosalie and the life we’ve been shown she has? The film does a fair job of extending these threads and not revealing too much at once. The moments of revelation for Rosalie as she deals with the reality of her disorder are genuine and delivered well. The faith elements involved were often aids to the scene or characters, but also hindrances at times. On top of revealing confidential information about Rosalie, Dr. Clay also initiates a religious conversation with Britt, whom he just met. Two things which seem at odds with a psychologist tracking down a mentally disturbed patient. In a local park where Rosalie volunteers, an evangelist regularly councils people there and encourages them to trust in Jesus. That in itself is fine, but it felt intentionally contrived for the film. Like a convenient subplot to insert more religious undertones that aren’t necessarily warranted.
But at other times, the theological elements felt seamless and really aided each character in what they were dealing with. There was a strong reliance on faith and prayer, not as a substitute to medication, but as an aid in the fight against various mental disorders for a handful of side characters. Faith didn’t feel like a crutch in this film, it felt like something actively used in daily battles and something from which strength was drawn. I also appreciated the portrayal of both believers and atheists. So often in popular Christian films, non-believers are the default bad guys while believers are the tiresome hero-servants. Fragile World does a nice job of casting a realistic lens on people we can all relate to in life without the presumption that unbelievers must be bad people. Britt, for example, has lost her faith but is a terrific friend to Rosalie.
While sometimes preachy and in need of some better dialogue, Fragile World offers a balanced approach to the interaction between faith and mental disease while providing subtle misdirection with the script and believable characters. It is available at LifeWay Christian stores and independent bookstores at the end of August, as well as available to purchase online at www.fragileworldmovie.com.
