Crazywise

The diagnosis and treatment of mental-health issues are certainly a hot-button topic in the United States. Human-rights photographer and filmmaker Phil Borges has explored several indigenous tribes and Eastern cultures throughout his career and has concluded that Western experts may be going at it all wrong. Crazywise recounts the journeys of two young Americans: Adam, 27, who has suffered several psychotic breaks and adverse reactions to mood-stabilizing medications throughout his life, and Ekhaya, 32, who has struggled to overcome past trauma and deep depression since her childhood. To deal with his anger issues and medicinal side effects, Adam goes on a silent retreat, embracing meditation in the hope of recovery; while Ekhaya realizes that in order to heal she must confront her past, and decides to help others by becoming a traditional South African healer. Through several interviews with both Western mental-health professionals and psychologists as well as the family and friends of Adam and Ekhaya, this documentary explores their alternative, spiritual routes of healing, giving a fresh perspective to an age-old social issue in this modern world. (Seattle International Film Festival)