8. Benny and Joon (1993)
Benny is an auto shop owner who doesn't have much of a life as he has to look after his sister - Joon who is seriously mentally ill. Joon requires constant surveillance but tries the patience too much of every housekeeper in town. In comes Sam into their life as Joon's carer through a number of circumstances. Sam is undereducated and mostly illiterate but he is a comic genius who can perform like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin and he also has encyclopaedic knowledge of old movies. Sam makes Joon laugh and he truly cares for her. He also lives outside of the confines of normal society the same way as Joon. Joon appreciates Sam as he is but will there ever be a relationship between the two? The odds are against them but can love conquer all? The name of Joon's mental illness is never named but it is pretty clear that she suffers from schizophrenia. This can be seen through her auditory hallucinations, need for routine and need to take medication. The film explores the need for schizophrenics to stay on their medication and various other facets of schizophrenia but it doesn't dwell on them long enough to depress the viewer or make the film dark. It is a bittersweet romance that ends happily. Sufferers of schizophrenia may feel that the film trivialises their illness but at the end of the day it is a film about love, not mental illness.