Mark Schilling's Oct. 7 review of the Japanese film "My S.O. Has Depression (Tsure ga Ustu ni Narimashite)" said two things to me:
(1) Yes, a film not that stunning artistically can still be very helpful to those afflicted with the curse of depression. Why should we care so much if the film is internationally recognized if it is speaking to the many Japanese sufferers of the gray malaise out there, who want to see their predicament enacted and sympathetically thought about? There is plenty of room for films dealing with conditions that nobody except the sufferer has much patience with. I think this was Schilling's point.
(2) Schilling's admirable imagery of the "inner iguana" gets right to the heart of the matter. A watchful mind that does not judge is perhaps the only thing, apart from medication, that works. Watching and not despairing, and certainly not beating up on oneself, is recommended by everyone who has ever had to put up with this misery. Patience and trust work best.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.