SURVIVING HOLLYWOOD: OONN SSCCRREEEENN AANNDD OOFFFF by Carole Lieberman, M.D.

“OH, I’m gonna die. I know, we’re all gonna die…. But, This brings us to the classic conundrum: I’m gonna die today!” These lines spoken by actress Sandra does life imitate art or art imitate life? Is Bullock in the movie Gravity, are perhaps the most chilling our collective unconscious, preoccupied and haunting of any Oscar nominee for Best Picture. Why? with modern struggles to survive, affecting Because astronaut Ryan Stone ( Bullock ) captures our un - Hollywood’s creative focus, or are these spoken fear of mortality and dares to confront us with it. top movies affecting our view of how cruel Indeed, all the nominees for Best Picture reflect our strug - and cold-hearted our world is? The answer gles to survive in today’s unpredictable, greedy, and dan - is: both. Characters die, vanish or are de - gerous world, where death could be lurking around the next stroyed in all of the movies nominated for corner. This theme is reflected in taglines for American Best Picture, while the same is happening Hustle: “Everyone hustles to survive,” Captain Phillips: to Hollywood stars in real l ife, and too many “Out here survival is everything,” : by their own hand. “Dare to live,” and Gravity: “Don’t let go.” , who won Astronaut Stone continues, “I'm still scared. I'm really Best Actor for Capote, died recently from scared . Nobody will mourn for me, no one will pray for my an ap parent heroin overdose and mis - soul.” Indeed, many of us feel ‘lost in space’ down here on guided ‘tough love’ advice. Ironically, one earth. We are estranged from each other and worlds apart, of the actors with whom he competed for just as astronauts floating without a tether. this Academy Award in 2006, was Heath Th is was brought home to us in Ledger for Broke - the movie Her, where Theodore back Mountain . The (played by ), heart- medical examiner in broken and damaged by a failed that case reported mar riage, falls i n love with a fe - Ledger’s 2008 death as an accidenta l only imagine how hard it is to not be jealous of a sibling’s male Operating System who seems overdose from prescription medica - fame and fortune, on top of child hood sibling rivalry extend - to love him back. Swept up in this tion abuse. ing into adult hood. But the award for biggest elephant in fantasy, he plummets to earth, Recently as well, Julia Roberts’ the room goes to Dylan Farrow’s allegations against Woody after discover ing she’s ‘in love’ half-sister, Nancy Motes, committed Allen fo r sexual abuse . Although , it’s disturbing to believe with countless others and she suicide , leaving behind a note blaming that someone who’s spent so many years in psychoanalysis abandons him. Not surprisingly, Julia for driving her to do it. One can could do such a thing, Dylan’s words do ring true. for a time when our economy is Unfortunately, life doesn’t only imitate art on the movie on life support, financial survival screen. It imitates ‘artists’ described in news reports of is also a theme amongst Best drugs, divorce, suicide and sexual abuse. When life gets to be a struggle — and it becomes a struggle for each of us Picture nominees. occasionally — it’s important to remember the lessons we le arn from movies, and find inspira tion from both REAL Indeed, many of us and REEL life characters, like Ron Woodroof (played by Matthew McConaughey) in Dallas Buyers Club, feel ‘lost in space’ bas ed on a true story. Valiantly struggling to survive down here on earth. a life-threat ening illness, i gnorance and bureau - cratic corruption, Ron leaves us with the lines, We are estranged “I only got one life. I want it to mean some thing.” And isn’t this the Hollywood ending we should from each other be striving for and imitating? and worlds just as America’s Psychiatrist, Carole Lieberman, M.D., astronauts floating was recognized for her talents by The Academy of without a tether. Television Arts and Sciences who awarded her three Emmys. Described as “One of the nation’s to p the rapists ,” her bestsellin g Greedy sharks circle the wa - boo ks and award-winning multi- dimen - ters: from con artists to criminals, sional career attract an inter national brokers to Big Pharma, slave audience . She hosts “Dr. Carole’s Couch” masters to Somali pirates ... even — a popular weekly Internet radio show nuns. In Philomena ( based on that can be heard on voiceamerica.com a true story) the title char acter where she unlocks the door to healthier (played by Judi Dench) is on a relationships. For further information on lifelong search for her son, only her books , media appearances or private to learn that nuns betrayed her practice visit: www.drcarole.com by stealing and selling him when www.badgirlsbook.com. he was a toddler. // bhtmag.com // 17