Creativity unlocked by mental illness can save patients’ lives
Lisa suffers from a schizo-affective disorder, has a keen sense of colour and paints with amazing flair and panache. Yury takes seven drugs to help him function, but only music allows him to stay afloat and feel whole. Elina is a professional artist who’s never been accepted because of her ‘otherness’ and unconventional personal style. Andrey, a former psychiatric patient, draws on tree trunks to watch his art transform as his ‘canvas’ grows. All have found support from Outsiderville, a nonprofit in St. Petersburg that helps artists like them be seen and get better through art. The troubled artists, whose stories the film tells, admit “art is the most potent painkiller”.