Boy Interrupted

Unexpectedly rich documentary of Evan Perry, a peculiar, bipolar young boy from a prosperous New York home who harbored a fascination with death at an early age, eventually committing suicide in 2005 at age 15 by jumping from a window in his apartment building. As directed by his mother Dana Perry, with photography by father Hart Perry, this film would seem to be an unrelieved downer from the outset (beginning with home movies from "a happier time", leading into interviews from understandably shaken relatives). But, as the material is vividly laid out, we learn a great deal more about this strange kid other than his preoccupation with dying (we pretty much watch him grow up through photographs and video footage, starting with Evan post-birth in the hospital room). The child's family and teachers--and one amusingly looped, exasperated psychiatrist straight out of a Paul Mazursky comedy--recount their dealings with Evan in succinct fashion, and there's even a surprising highlight: a grade school play about death, written by Evan, which features better acting by the students than what we get in most television shows. A deeply-felt journey, moving yet with a tough core. **1/2 from ****

The 4 stars go to the boy, his brother, all his friends and the scenes they showed from his childhood.

Now, having all that material, years of experience seeing the child's mental deterioration, how could it be that the psychiatrist did not try other treatment? When you have a patient who does not improve after so many years, you need to transfer their case to another specialist!

If the child was misdiagnosed throughout his life, he would literally be responsible for his death. Years of treatment and he reads only a few notes in which he has almost nothing written about him.

Anyway. I can't empathize with psychiatrists, it seems like they have been deprived of their consciousness.

I don't know how on earth no one in the family could tell how horrendous the Evan's "psychiatrist" was. I'm NAD but he is an absolute quack and shouldn't be practicing and treating patients. He calls Evan "crazy" multiple times, allows his patient to dictate whether he will take his lithium for bipolar disorder, stating "he doesn't need it anymore". It's not a curable mental illness wtf!! Are you kidding me?!!?! He is partly to blame for Evan's death and I'm so sorry to his family. He's up there with Dr. Death. He had the nerve to be on this documentary... shame on you, Ladd Speigel!!!!

Not an easy movie to watch ,but you really get the picture what its like about these things. Poor dude.

Heart wrenching film very well done by parents who have lived through THE WORST thing that could happen From the surface this child could not have had a better life. Well off, attentive parents, and had all the advantages. Yet he could not get past the darkness inside him. So chilling that he manifested these behaviors at such an early age.

To the commentator who was critical of the psychiatrist....you cant assume all bi-polar people have the same experience. Im glad you know some who have managed to lead normal lives and respond to medication and therapy. but I personally know of two bipolar people, early 30s, both highly educated, who are unable to function as independent adults because of bipolar disorder. They have both had solid access to medical attention. I think sometimes the disorder is just too heavy. I think also there are personality traits outside the bipolar disorder that are specific to some individuals which exaggerate or enhance the challenges.