Audiences experience 'Avatar' blues

[alienlovechild 75]

James Cameron's completely immersive spectacle "Avatar" may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.

On the fan forum site "Avatar Forums," a topic thread entitled "Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible," has received more than 1,000 posts from people experiencing depression and fans trying to help them cope. The topic became so popular last month that forum administrator Philippe Baghdassarian had to create a second thread so people could continue to post their confused feelings about the movie.

"I wasn't depressed myself. In fact the movie made me happy ," Baghdassarian said. "But I can understand why it made people depressed. The movie was so beautiful and it showed something we don't have here on Earth. I think people saw we could be living in a completely different world and that caused them to be depressed."

A post by a user called Elequin expresses an almost obsessive relationship with the film.

"That's all I have been doing as of late, searching the Internet for more info about 'Avatar.' I guess that helps. It's so hard I can't force myself to think that it's just a movie, and to get over it, that living like the Na'vi will never happen. I think I need a rebound movie," Elequin posted.

A user named Mike wrote on the fan Web site "Naviblue" that he contemplated suicide after seeing the movie.

"Ever since I went to see 'Avatar' I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na'vi made me want to be one of them. I can't stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it," Mike posted. "I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in 'Avatar.' "

Ivar Hill posts to the "Avatar" forum page under the name Eltu. He wrote about his post-"Avatar" depression after he first saw the film earlier this month.

"When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed ... gray. It was like my whole life, everything I've done and worked for, lost its meaning," Hill wrote on the forum. "It just seems so ... meaningless. I still don't really see any reason to keep ... doing things at all. I live in a dying world."

Reached via e-mail in Sweden where he is studying game design, Hill, 17, explained that his feelings of despair made him desperately want to escape reality.

"One can say my depression was twofold: I was depressed because I really wanted to live in Pandora, which seemed like such a perfect place, but I was also depressed and disgusted with the sight of our world, what we have done to Earth. I so much wanted to escape reality," Hill said.

"Virtual life is not real life and it never will be, but this is the pinnacle of what we can build in a virtual presentation so far," said Dr. Stephan Quentzel, psychiatrist and Medical Director for the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. "It has taken the best of our technology to create this virtual world and real life will never be as utopian as it seems onscreen. It makes real life seem more imperfect."

Fans of the movie may find actor Stephen Lang, who plays the villainous Col. Miles Quaritch in the film, an enemy of the Na'vi people and their sacred ground, an unlikely sympathizer. But Lang says he can understand the connection people are feeling with the movie.

"Pandora is a pristine world and there is the synergy between all of the creatures of the planet and I think that strikes a deep chord within people that has a wishfulness and a wistfulness to it," Lang said. "James Cameron had the technical resources to go along with this incredibly fertile imagination of his and his dream is built out of the same things that other peoples' dreams are made of."

"After discussing on the forums for a while now, my depression is beginning to fade away. Having taken a part in many discussions concerning all this has really, really helped me," Hill said. "Before, I had lost the reason to keep on living -- but now it feels like these feelings are gradually being replaced with others."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/...lues/index.html

[caybee 21]

It was good and all, but

Was it just because I didn't see the 3D version?

[NickD 203]

Geeze, it's just a movie. Okay, I just watched the trailer on my computer, in HD and 3D so they claim. On even a planet but a moon of another planet with rich vegetation, normally moons are hard rocky places that collect meteorites to save the host planet. Then a crippled marine that will do anything to get his legs back, what happened to the VA 150 years from now and why is he on duty? Then gray rocks worth a fortune, have lots of gray rocks in my yard, maybe I am filthy rich and don't know it. Then these gray rocks of all places are under a native village where the natives don't want to be moved. Only have bows and arrows, but hard to kill.

That native girl with the blue skin has a face I wouldn't like to kiss with those funny puppy like ears, but she has a really hot earth like body. Anybody have a bag I can borrow to put over her head?

Can't wait to see the movie.

[PhiLandShiR 18]

I think people need to get a life...

[Chris_Жанна 11]

I felt the same way after seeing "Benji, The Hunted". Still have the scars to prove it.

#######, if ppl are that weak minded they deserve to off themselves, social Darwinism at it's best.

I'd hate to see what happens when they watch a movie with real substance.

Edited January 12, 2010 by Chris_Жанна

[PhiLandShiR 18]

I felt the same way after seeing "Benji, The Hunted". Still have the scars to prove it.

#######, if ppl are that weak minded they deserve to off themselves, social Darwinism at it's best.

I'd hate to see what happens when they watch a movie with real substance.

I don't...

its time to cull the herd...

[Ali G. 37]

When I saw the year of the guys log 2154, I thought damn, we are never going to see anything of that nature (a new world). Instead we are going to be stuck with the clowns of this era.

[PhiLandShiR 18]

When I saw the year of the guys log 2154, I thought damn, we are never going to see anything of that nature (a new world). Instead we are going to be stuck with the clowns of this era.

Bet on being stuck with the clowns...

[NickD 203]

I think people need to get a life...

I can give them some of my gray rocks if that will make them feel any better.

[mawilson 2,133]

James Cameron's completely immersive spectacle "Avatar" may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.

There's always Australia.

[Joseph & Ana 0]

All this depression is a realization that the libs will never realize their lie of a utopia. booo hooooo

Note the people who were suicidal/depressed were all libs

[The_Dude 1,142]

All this depression is a realization that the libs will never realize their lie of a utopia. booo hooooo

Note the people who were suicidal/depressed were all libs

It's the return of stupid. Only you could take something as innocuous as a movie and turn it into a imbecilic attempt at partisan political insult.

[Chris_Жанна 11]

It's the return of stupid. Only you could take something as innocuous as a movie and turn it into a imbecilic attempt at partisan political insult.

So I just came back from seeing the movie at Imax. I strangely have the desire to take a bath and throw the toaster in with me....

Is it bad that I wanna have sex with the female Na'vi?

[dalegg 143]

Its because people feel guilty that our forefathers weren't actually driven back to Europe by the native Americans and they believe that Americans killed mother Earth. Typical self-loathing liberals.

[Chris_Жанна 11]

Its because people feel guilty that our forefathers weren't actually driven back to Europe by the native Americans and they believe that Americans killed mother Earth. Typical self-loathing liberals.

You and Joe need to get a room.