[usr 3.5]
“Mind Garden” is an exploration of self through the minds of others. In the documentary podcast-er/writer and sufferer of social anxiety/agoraphobia, Drew Carson converses with other sufferers to discover how they cope with their conditions.”
The documentary “Mind Garden” is a triumph for those with deep social anxiety as the director was in his own home using just a high-def webcam. That’s how you work with debilitating fear. Of course, with just a webcam, the movie is blotchy, as computer cameras cut off chins, foreheads and unkempt messes in the background. Quite à propos for someone incapacitated by anxiety and locked in his home. Unfortunately, to the average viewer, the film appeared to be filmed back in the nineties by an unskilled director and locked in a vault until today. To fill in the gaps between webcam sessions, director Drew Carson fills in with images with little relevance to either the film or the intended feeling.
Let’s start with the content then we can return to the intended emotions the film hoped to dictate. Drew introduces the topic with random images of cities and hazy crowds while giving some statistics on social anxiety before leading into introducing his guests. Again, each of these guests – friends and fellow podcasters – appear in webcam form in front of their computer, each with a set of headphones and microphone or such. Here they are:
- Blaine lives with anxiety with no concrete stem for his mindset beyond genealogy and an atypical thought process.
- Steve gives the impression of social and content. His anxiety stems from experiences in life knocking him into submission.
- Suz experiences anxiety from a traumatic childhood with little help for her stomach issues and little help from her family.
- Samson is dark and twisty and hides behinds humor to cope with anxiety, consequently repelling people on purpose.
- Todd spends time in prison despite his innocence and because of his new forced label, he finds himself riddled with anxiety back in the real world.
After all these stories take up the first eighty minutes, the film moves on to Drew’s story. His anxiety history began in his teens and remained undiagnosed for a while. He was diagnosed with epilepsy which kept him from wanting to step foot outside and propelled him into a life where outside became unfamiliar and uncomfortable to the point of unease until others invading his personal space became too much to bear beyond his wife.
The goal of this documentary is not to educate people on the proponents of social anxiety but to let people know while locked in their head and thoughts, they are not alone. Many people – real people through different facets – share the same apprehension about living in a world with other people. This is the beauty of this film and why the stories arrive from several directions.
What didn’t work was the lack of direction in the film. Instead of asking directions and leading the participants, Drew allowed the guests to wander off into their anxiety-ridden memories and take us with them. A bit more direction would serve the intended audience better. Those with anxiety want answers along with knowing others share the same issues. A more focused interview with each guest would better highlight a path to recovery.
Coupled with the random graphics, the effects were off kilter. Pictures and scenes should fill empty space but Drew should have used these image opportunities to the advantage of inducing the emotions anxiety causes. With limited ability to leave the house kept in mind, “Mind Garden” begins to address the loneliness of social anxiety and paves the way for a more concentrated view of anxiety with a future accompanying documentary.
Now available on Amazon Prime and other Digital Platforms
