Like You Mean It (2015)

By jmallaney

Spoilers abound. This is a movie about mental illness that rings very true. It has a steady pace and few moments of obviously intense drama. Both lead actors do a good job. The film has a clear story arc but does not tie up chronic mental health issues in a tidy bow. Mark has been in a stable and fulfilling relationship with Jonah for several years. He begins to withdraw physically and emotionally. Jonah broaches the issue and notes that, when Mark had stopped taking his medication a year go, he'd asked Jonah to tell him is his behavior started getting strange. He encourages Mark to go back on his previous medication. Instead, Mark schedules couples counseling as he perceives he simply doesn't care about Jonah anymore but would like to try to re-establish a good relationship. Mark fails to implement the counselor's recommendations, and fails to effectively address his mental health issues. He does not address the personal and professional stressors he has going on, self medicates with alcohol takes other drugs, and, when he finally chooses to return to taking medication does not resume the med that he'd had success with just a year before.