Under Construction - MHWA Retreat

The trailer deals with the concept of society turning people into villains. Do you think society has the tendency to make villains out of normal people? How so? Why or why not?
I think the society a person lives in definitely playing a role in their character and well being. It's the whole Nature vs Nurture debate. Some things you are born with and some things are learned. If your society is an abusive and unforgiving one, how you turn out depends on what you were born with (how you internalize) and how you learn to cope in your world.
I think of twins in this situation. Dad is an alcoholic - one twin grows up and becomes a bi g drinker because that's what his Dad did, the other never touches it, because that's what his Dad did.

What are some everyday dystopian elements that are commonplace in society? For example, I think it's a bit dystopian when society applauds crowdfunding for necessary medical treatments because so many people in the US don't have healthcare.
I get frustrated in Canada when we refer to other countries as third world countries and there are pleas and campaigns and guilt trips to help these other needy countries. Yet up North we have at least 34 Indigenous reserves without access to clean drinking water and they're paying $12 for a carton of milk - $18 for a dozen eggs!! What are we doing to help our own country? How can we be proud Canadians without acknowledging this?

The trailer also shows a lot of bullying. What are some of the effects of long-term bullying on a person’s psyche?
You hear stories of the 200 pound teenager who loses 80 pounds but in her head she's still always the "fat girl"
Low self esteem, depression, social anxiety, would/could all be side effects of long term bullying.
But there are also many stories of overcoming, resilience and rising above.

How do you feel about mental health representations in movies such as this? Are they exploitative of mental health sufferers or do they draw much-needed attention to those issues? Are they too dark? How would you portray mental illness in a film character?
This may not be the character we chose to see as representative of our own mental illness but we can all acknowledge how he probably got there. I think the fact that Heath Ledger (a character actor) committed suicide shortly after his portrayal of the Joker, speaks louder about mental illness. I often wonder about the stability of these actors and actresses - always playing someone who is not themselves; how do hey internalize all that?

August Leaf
It takes courage to be vulnerable
Brene Brown