Ruth's latest performance

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/features/ a-dialogue-with-myself-808941.html

Clickable link. This looks to be a very interesting show and it will be great to see something different from Ruth, especially after last year's frustrating 'Capturing Mary'.

Dear Buddha, please send me a pony and a plastic rocket.

Another frustrating 90 minutes.

An unconventional psychologist plays himself while Ruth plays one of his patients. It didn't work for me. Ruth was wonderful, of course, but he was seriously irritating and his methods were interesting but scientifically dodgy.

It didn't bind together, although it did raise quite a few interesting questions about current methods of treating mental illness.

I found the narrator more irritating than Rufus May (the closeness of the names "Rufus" and "Ruth" required extra concentration when listening to the narrator (Director, Leo Regan's) strong Irish accent.

May has "been there (diagnosed and treated for mental illness) and done that". He runs serious professional risks for the risk he (and the real "Ruth") have taken.

Ten out of Ten to RW for taking on the challenge of portraying a real mentally ill patient. (...unlike recent TV dramas about fictional "mad" people.)I wonder how the real "Ruth" responds to her screen persona ...positively one hopes!

The programme has stimulated a lot of discussion on the Web about mental health treatment and Ruth (W) continues to challenge herself with difficult roles. Tough on her perhaps (apparently she took a 6 month furlough at the end of 2007)....but much to our "enjoyment" ... not quite sure that's the word to use.

RW - Great actress- looking forward to her next appearance.

Well over here (Stateside) we accept your critiques with a vacant heart. Would that we could see Ruth, even in a less than perfect program. (I know, want some cheese with that whine...) The closest I got to any satisfaction was when I went to Rufus May's website (www,etc). He linked to a Radio 4 interview which I managed to listen to. I agree about the thick accents but muddled through and heard Rufus say how much he enjoyed working with Ruth and how she had a good understanding of the psychological aspects they were dealing with. He said he thought she'd make a good psychologist herself.

Should anyone see info about how to order a DVD of the piece, would appreciate the tip.

Now the vigil starts again, waiting to find out what RW will do next...

Rufus May put a link to a torrent site from where you can download the film at the bottom of one of his web pages:

http://rufusmay.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id= 7&Itemid=9

In the text: "Apparently the film can be down-loaded here." Just above the pic of Ruth in a hoodie.

Thanks for the tip, cupidone. Unfortunately the only 'torrents' I seem to have access to are in my own head. I now go in search of a computer geek to help me understand why I can't get the download to play on my machine...

Hi timberbutte, how's Montana?

Look out for this http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1106448/maindetails off kilter dramatisation of mental health treatment too.

They would make an excruciating evening viewed together but there's no getting round the fact that they are three utterly mesmerising performances by actresses all, hopefully, on the verge of greater things.

Hello Alfa -16, nice to think you remember us out here in the vast wilderness.

Thanks for the headsup re Poppy Shakespeare. If it's a feature length film, there is always hope I can see it on Netflix. I have seen both Anna Maxwell-Martin (LOVED Bleak House) and of course we have been inundated with the Pirates movies. They show them twice a week on cable here (yawn) but Naomie Harris was a bit of relief in that series.

I'm sure you're right that these films about mental illness need to be watched on a sunny day. I have begun to wonder, as someone has already posted, that the project put Ruth off the acting game for awhile.

I've all but given up wondering when and what she'll do next. Can't quite say why she's so beguiling except that she is so much more talented than 99% of the young actresses I've seen of late. Of course, it's the commerical commodity that gets attention over here...boring, I know....

Anyone for the next X-files movies with Gillian Anderson, who has seemed to build quite a following on both sides of the pond? Coming in June over here.