MovieChat Forums > What Dreams May Come (1998) Discussion > Views on Suicide

Views on Suicide

posted 10 years ago by secure-h
31 replies | jump to latest

I was a little dissapointed the movie portrayed suicides as going to a "different place" a hellish existence.

I read similar views on this board such as "I think we can all agree that suicide is horribly sad and wasteful".

I think not. Suicides are entirely relative.
Sometimes "life is horribly sad and wasteful".

I have nothing but sympathy for people who suffer greatly either in life or death.
Lying in bed year after year in pain, in torture is not a good life, its a bad life and I have absolutely no problem with people who are miserable opting out of life. There are many examples other than the one I gave above.

I see no obligation to live if you know it is going to be bad from here on out.
I also believe in intelligent creation, a God if you will.

I say whatever you do with your own body, your life is entirely a matter between you and your creator. Stay out of others lives and quit condemning them to hell. You might just find if you are one who condemned others to hell you will be judged and condemned in a similar way. Ye reap what ye sow.

[–] ruthlindakeen244 10 years ago

I agree with this post. I was disgusted with the writer's viewpoint that soul's of suicide deaths automatically go to Hell. How can they presume that?! I stopped watching the film halfway through when the rules were spelled out by Cuba Gooding Jr. to Robin Williams. Suicide victims many times are non-intentional drug related incidents. Many are extremely depressed and cannot cope with what life has given them. Many are in extreme pain and suffering. It's our choice what we do with our bodies and if we choose to end it.No-one gets to choose for us who goes to Heaven or Hell, even if they do exist.

[–] dan6pitcher 10 years ago

The film was visually stunning, but this was a major issue with it.
Hopefully the writer was not correct, as Robin Williams was clearly in enough pain already.

[–] thizzler 10 years ago

God... The writer better not be right. To suffer even worse after the deed than before ughh don't even want to think about it.

[–] vandeiw 10 years ago

I am watching this movie right now and I cannot stop looking Robins's eyes and wondering where he is right now.
Considering the recent tragedy, this movie is truly heartbreaking.......
R.I.P. Robin and may life after death spare you from all the pain you went through in your earthly existence.

[–] IceboxMovies 10 years ago

Um... in the movie, Cuba's character says the "rules" do not dictate that Hell is an actual place, but rather, that you create your own personal hell.

Chris even asks, "Why are you punishing her? She's suffered enough."

And fact that he was able to rescue her means something, doesn't it? That her hell didn't last forever.

[–] lanis_cupus 10 years ago

Very good point. Perhaps in death, as in life, Milton's words hold true:

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] MinionMom 10 years ago

A very interesting post now. I can't imagine doing it myself....But I also can't imagine being in the state of mind he had to have been in to do this. I hope he is has the peace he wanted. RIP Robin Williams

[–] Ivarq 10 years ago

I think this was on of his most touching films, look at the emotions and acting. RW was one of the most humanly acting persona in this lifeless Hollywood film industry.
RIP

[–] Studman_Productions 10 years ago

indeed

[–] seakicreativeservice-934-96321 10 years ago

I could not agree with you more BUT I think people misunderstand the reason why the wives character was in her own personal 'hell'. I think the author and director meant to so that suicide places you in a 'eternal limbo' depending on your frame of mind when taking your own life. I don't think the wife was in this state because she took her own life, she was in this darkness because she was in a deep depression, suffering from a great lose,a darkness she took with her into the afterlife - in my opinion respectfully.

[–] maseyjean 10 years ago

^^^ I agree.

[–] smokeydspray 10 years ago

It's sad that some ppl are in so much pain they commit suicide. I don't believe they go to help that is rediculous. God loves us all and knows the pain suicide victims are in and would not condemn them to hell!!

[–] zenbudda 10 years ago

I think you might be confusing real, tangible, excruciating pain (like bone cancer) with emotional pain which can be healed. In my view of this movie, Annie killed herself because she couldn't deal with her problems (and of course her soul mate was no longer directly connected to her). Had she wanted to end her life on good terms, she probably would not be in hell. But because she never accepted her life as-is, and healed her soul, she was trapped in her own hell. I agreed with this concept of the movie even before I saw it so I guess I'm kind of partial to its "philosophy".

[–] baka77 10 years ago

Why are you so certain that emotional pain can always be healed? I think this sort of conceit is indicative of our society's attitude towards mental health - that it is somehow less serious than physical health.

What if there are people whose trauma is so deep that it cannot be healed? What if there are people who have a natural chemical imbalance or developmental brain deficiency that causes them to experience emotional pain on a different scale than you can even imagine? The line between physical & mental illness isn't always black & white.

I don't personally subscribe to the notion of an afterlife, but I do think that it is wrong to expect that all mental illness can be healed & thus anyone who seeks peace from their unrelenting inner demons should be condemned to an eternity of further torture. That's just a *beep* up mentality.

[–] cathy-creswell 10 years ago

I agree with everything you wrote.

[–] zenbudda 10 years ago

"certain"

interesting "insertion" of words you chose there. certain? are "you" really certain about anything? and you also throw out there a lOT of "what if's". well, what if i'm right? lol. remember, "certain" was your choice of words, not mine. that being said, even robin himself addressed this issue in the manner in which i presented it. take your pick, i'm not asking you to agree. just pointing out facts and my views on them.

[–] Princess_Daffodil 10 years ago

In my opinion, the movie wasn't about Heaven vs Hell. Cuba Gooding Jr's character said it best. ""Here" is big enough for everyone to have their own universe". I take that to mean that the ones who commit suicide are already in such a dark place that they carry it with them and can't see the light for what it is. That would truly be Hell... Not a physical place, but to be trapped in that state of mind for all eternity.

[–] FirthNorthamAddict 10 years ago

I love Robin Willimams, but he did have an obligation to the kids he left behind(albeit adults) and btw one is now being tortured on here cause of his death. That being said I know the demons he suffered and can understand where he came from, but then again I have no children grown or young. Also I would never say he was in hell, his hell was earth.

[–] Keelai 10 years ago

The movie was based on a book which was based on research according to the author. He was trying to recreate what people described in their near death experiences.

People who have attempted suicide have a darker experience than people who die by other means. God isn't judging them, but it does have something to do with the state of mind the person is in. They appear to become trapped there for a period of time also.

I have absolutely no problem with people who are miserable opting out of life.

The point being what if when committing suicide, a person isn't opting out because life continues after death. Personally, I wouldn't want to risk being wrong and ending up not being able to undo something drastic.