His character as a photo developer exhibited a creepy mental illness. What is the mental illness called when a lonely person fixates on certain people & becomes obsessed with them in unhealthy uncomfortable creepy ways?
“Parasocial Relationships” is the term I’m used to - but don’t think that’s a condition used to describe a person that experiences them.
An extreme version of parasocial relationship
not really a parasocial, usually involves some form of codependancy in the affected person. i would more attribute parsocial as an obssesed fan stalking/ forming a 1 side relationship with a public figure.
That movie was an unexpected trip!
I think his obsession could be symptomatic of a number of diagnoses. He seems unable to properly empathize with the people (specifically not considering their autonomy) over which he is obsessing, which would give a healthy mind pause during the progression of events.
The best way to try to check yourself to see if you are being socially creepy, is try to imagine how your actions may be perceived by the other person. Remember that they are unaware of any context either in your mind or when they are absent. The protagonist does not seem to do this at all.
I was working a photo lab when this movie came out and corporate was alarmed because it was bad publicity. We had talking points to reassure customers regarding privacy etc.
I was working in a photo lab when it came out as well. The movie accurately portrayed (imo) how uncomfortably close to how involved one could feel when dealing with long time customers, even in a high volume lab where we rarely dealt with the customer. We’d see first dates engagements, weddings, kids being born, and so forth. Plenty of stories of ‘I saw Customer at the mall, had to stop myself from waving and saying hello and asking after Event’.
It’s not really much different from today’s social media and how involved some get in the lives of people they’ve never met or don’t even know they exist.
It made me double take on Robin Williams. I’d always seen him as Mork from his early career. I expected him to be over the top and funny, so watching him be serious and frankly disturbing was as confronting as the movie itself.
How often did you use it? Did concerned people ask about it?
I think one customer brought up the movie one time lol
He was delusional and showed some obsessive compulsive behavior.
I still sometimes think about the scene where he has broken into some family’s house and is taking a shit in their toilet thinking about being an actual part of the family. I hope to never come home and sit on my toilet and find the seat warm.
Yeah it was a really uncomfortable movie. Thankfully I had no recollection of the toilet scene you mentioned 😳 But now you’ve put the image in my head.
My bidet always keeps my seat warm!
I’ll never know
If it doesn’t have a name, I claim it as my own.
I know
from now on then, it’s called 30p87 Syndrome
Not ever expression of mental illness has a specific name. There is a DSM used to diagnose common patterns. It would probably be described by combining the names of his diagnosis.
I think I saw that a long time ago, we should check it out again.
Another great Robin Williams movie is called ‘The Final Cut’ which has become even more relevant than when released
Seems like a highly fictionalized version of unregulated Borderline Personality Disorder
Stalker
Intimacy-seeking stalkers often have delusional disorders involving erotomanic delusions.
I haven’t seen the film, but it sounds like a platonic version of erotomania, or a non-specific delusional disorder.
Okay thank you, this one might describe me. Except I don’t stalk because when I start to feel that weird creepy feeling like I want to be in their lives (but I have the self-awareness to realize that I do not belong in their lives) I do the opposite of stalking. I remove myself.
I remember it being quite good, just that it was the first robin Williams movie I saw that wasn’t a comedy and where he wasn’t a crazy jumpy fun guy, it was jarring for me the first time I saw it.
I would recommend it though, it was a good movie
I’ve yet to see Robin Williams in a serious role and being disappointed, so I’ll check it out. Thanks for the rec!
Good Will Hunting?
