When the Sunshine 1

Running Head: WHEN THE SUNSHINE TURNS INTO A SHADOW

When the Sunshine Turns Into a Shadow

Gina Edwards

PSY 332

03-13-2009

When the Sunshine Turns Into a Shadow

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Major depression is a period of someone’s life characterized by complete relinquishment

Sheryl: “Frank, I’m so glad you’re still here!” of the will to live. As evidenced by the quotations to the left, Steve Carell’s

character, Frank, from Little Miss Sunshine is facing this incredibly

debilitating mental disorder. After attempting suicide by slitting his wrists,

Frank: “That makes one of us.”

not only must Frank cope with his past failures from which he tried to

escape, but also with the heavy emotional turmoil and road to recovery in

his future.

Often times, Hollywood’s profit-hungry perspective is a deterrent

from portraying the mental health discipline accurately. Instead, both

patients and doctors are shown in a false light of extremism or absurdity to enhance the film’s

billing, whether provocative or humorous. In a recent study, researchers found that the “movie

industry represents little –if any-- of the complexity of psychological science” and “frequently

depict[s] stereotypical conventions and caricatures of the discipline” (Orchowski, Spickard &

McNamara 2006). This kind of misrepresentation can cause serious repercussions surrounding

the stigma of mental illness in today’s society.

However, I felt that in Little Miss Sunshine Frank was depicted in a realistic yet

downplayed role. It was clear that the directors were less preoccupied with sensationalism and

more focused on making characters as realistic and believable as possible. As Frank’s condition

is evaluated in the context of the film, the validity of his portrayal as a depressed and suicidal

man can be examined and verified.

Although the film never directly states a diagnosis, it’s quite evident that Frank is likely

suffering from the mood disorder of major depression. According to Abnormal Psychology:

Core Concepts, depressed people must have symptoms such as “feelings of worthlessness or
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guilt, thoughts of suicide… fatigue… and changes in appetite and sleep patterns” (Butcher,

Mineka, Hooley 2008). During the film, Frank exudes several of these symptoms. These

specifiers --especially the cognitive ones-- are ever-present despite his intermittent positive

affect.

The doctor at the beginning of the movie advises Sheryl to ensure that Frank stays away

from sharp objects and is around people at all times; obviously his fear was that Frank would

attempt suicide again. All of Frank’s problems, from his spurned romantic advances to losing his

job continue weighing on him since he was unsuccessful in “completing” his suicide. Since

“most attempts occur in the context of interpersonal discord or other severe life stress,” (Butcher

2008) it would be likely that Frank would attempt once more.

When viewers initially “meet” Frank, he’s sitting in a wheelchair and staring out the

window of a hospital. Bandages are on his wrists, and his tired eyes are glazed with tears. The

expression on his face tells the story of his path to hitting rock bottom. He is understandably sad

and quiet, and the disappointment that he “failed” in ending his life permeates his appearance,

demeanor, and attitude. Soon his sister Sheryl comes to pick him up, and Frank must assimilate

to new surroundings as he prepares to live with her and her family. When they arrive home,

Frank’s niece, Olive, receives news that she has qualified for the “Little Miss Sunshine” pageant

and the entire six-person family prepares to take a lengthy road trip together in a yellow

Volkswagen bus.

As the movie rolls onward, there is no indication that Frank is acting abnormally.

Though his demeanor is rather demure and reserved, he hasn’t completely isolated himself. He is

very kind to everyone in his sister’s family except for his brother-in-law. (This will be further

discussed later in the paper.) It’s clear that Frank is struggling with a great deal of emotional
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turmoil, but he resigns himself to go along with his sister and her family since she has taken him

in and is prepared to help him. Throughout the entire time in the van with his dysfunctional

family Frank does not show that he is particularly distraught or upset.

Frank’s mental status is still very functional as evidenced by his outward appearance. He

is well-kept and dresses nicely. His hair and beard are maintained, and during one of the scenes

at a hotel, he’s shown washing his face and shaving. There are even many moments in which he

makes jokes and acts animatedly. For example, he teases Olive when she won’t eat her ice

cream, and jokes sarcastically with his brother-in-law and Dwayne. His intellectual functioning

and decision making are still intact, and he’s still able to hold intelligent conversations and be

aware of the choices that he makes and all of his other mental processes.

Further strengthening the above argument, there are various scenes throughout the film

where Frank’s intelligence is emphasized. A couple of times during the movie Frank has to help

push the dilapidated van to start moving, and he wittily mentions that he is a “pre-eminent Proust

scholar.” There’s no indication that he has lost any of these strengths or abilities through his

depression. During a particular scene that I found rather moving, Frank is talking to his nephew,

Dwayne, about the struggles of life. They discuss how the periods of deepest suffering and

despair can truly define character, strength, and emotional depth. This intellectual and spiritual

conversation illustrates Frank’s reflection upon his own experience with depression, and his hope

to relay these paradigms about life to Dwayne, who is dealing with similar frustrations and

sadness. Although Frank’s depression and struggles have significantly altered his perspective

about life, he’s still able to look past his own tragedies and help others by sharing his grief.

According to the DSM multiaxal assessment, Frank’s condition can be plotted on the

various axes. In Axis I, Frank’s major depressive disorder could be listed. Axes II and III would
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be empty, because no personality disorder is evident, and there are no apparent medical

conditions that the viewer is aware of. Under Axis IV there could be many different

environmental stressors listed including an intense romantic failure, career disappointment, his

homosexual stigma, and getting fired. In Axis V, where Frank’s ability to function would be

listed, he would most likely have a moderate number. Although he is definitely in a very deep

sadness, it has not completely hindered his ability to function in other realms of his life.

Since the setting of the movie is transient, Frank encounters many different

environmental influences. Before he committed suicide, he lived as a prominent professor on a

college campus. Now, he must adjust to the daily life of a typical middle class family. For

example, the first night at his sister’s house he must sleep in the same room as Dwayne because

he’s not allowed to be alone. Subsequently, he has to travel in a cramped van with five other

people. During the road trip, they make a pit stop at a gas station and Frank unexpectedly runs

into the student that he fell in love with while being a professor. He sees his former student with

another man, the professor that usurped his position at the college and beat him out for a

prominent award. This encounter causes his temporarily improved mood to spiral back

downward into depressed heartache.

Not only do Frank’s environmental surroundings have an effect on how he deals with his

depression, but also his relationship with each of the family members. His sister Sheryl is very

warm and caring. She just wants to help him recover from his mental breakdown, and is very

supportive of him. On the other hand, Frank’s brother-in-law is very cold and indifferent to him.

He treats him as an inconvenience to their family, and even tells his daughter Olive that he is a

“sick man” and “messed up” in the head. Olive is far too young to understand the complexities of

what Frank has gone through, so she deems it all as “silly.” Sheryl’s son Dwayne, who has taken

a vow of silence, actually connects with Frank the most and brings about his introspective
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monologue toward the end of the movie. There is a great deal of evidence that Dwayne is

depressed as well, and there is a definite duality between the two characters.

In addition, there is no indication that Frank receives any kind of treatment for his

condition. Other than the scene at the beginning when Frank is at the hospital, viewers do not see

the prescription of any medication, diagnosis, or referral for therapy. This error further validates

a mistaken notion that a person could theoretically “bounce back” from suicide without any kind

of professional assistance. A notion like this could be very detrimental to people’s perception of

suicide and its effects on people. According to (Butcher 2008), “many patients who suffer from

mood disorders… never seek treatment, and without formal treatment, the great majority of…

depressed patients will recover (often only temporarily) within a year.” Thus, Frank’s rapid

improvement throughout the film would be an unlikely occurrence.

Because the movie focused on showing the dynamics of the family as a whole, the typical

Hollywood distortion wasn’t present when depicting Frank’s character. The directors didn’t try

to drastically alter his personality or actions to make the movie more dramatic. They likely

downplayed the severity of Frank’s condition due to the sheer number of “main” characters in

the story. It would have been difficult to explore a great amount of depth for any one of the

characters.

Frank actually represses a great deal of his sadness and heartache because he knows that

it will make the entire road trip easier on his sister. This act is especially realistic of human

nature and sacrifices of love. Even though a person may be plagued with a mental illness like

depression, they often still possess the cognizance of another’s well-being. Consequently they

might hold back their symptoms for their loved ones’ sake, even if it might be emotionally

debilitating and painful for them.

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If I could change the movie, I would emphasize Frank’s condition to a greater degree.

Although the depiction in the film may have been more realistic due to the circumstances, his

condition was downplayed to the point that it lessened the severity of Frank’s mental state as a

survivor of suicide. People in this condition are often quite volatile and in need of professional

help---Frank merely faded back into normalcy. This could cause some significant misperceptions

about those recovering from depression and attempted suicide. Unknowing people might think

that it is something just to “overcome,” and that its importance is not so serious.

Any time that a creative program attempts to mimic reality, whether it be a movie,

television show, or even “reality t.v.,” there are bound to be factual errors and reinforced

stereotypes. These misrepresentations are what feed a great portion of our society’s

misunderstanding of mental illness and its ramifications upon those afflicted. Little Miss

Sunshine gives a rather accurate portrayal of the sociological dynamics of a dysfunctional family

and very realistic representations of human emotions. Though they might have erred in

downgrading the severity of Frank’s depression, this film gave a substantially factual look at

how even the strangest of circumstances can serve as a cathartic experience. One can only hope

that as that iconic yellow van disappeared into the fading sunlight and the credits began to roll, a

sense of hope was instilled into those experiencing Frank’s condition in real life, day in and day

out. And perhaps his courageous and passionate portrayal was the inspiration for at least one

person to seek help, and move out of their shadow and into the sunshine.
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References

Butcher, J.N., Mineka, S., & Hooley, J. M. (2008). Abnormal Psychology: Core Concepts.

Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Orchowski, L. M., Spickard, B.A., McNamara, J.R. (2006). Cinema and the Valuing of

Psychotherapy: Implications for Clinical Practice. Professional Psychology: Research

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And Practice, Vol. 37(No. 5), 506-514.