Directed by Krishna Mankasingh and Darryl Palapuz, ‘Range of eMotion‘ is a feature-length documentary about how schizophrenia affects and takes a toll on ordinary people and how these people rely on friends and family to make their lives better. Running at 88 minutes, the documentary is a prime example of how the visual medium can be harnessed to bring contentious issues to the masses, to move them and to enable them to become catalysts for change in society. A case in point here is related to mental disorders and how society seemingly shrugs the devastating effects of these disorders off, leading victims to wonder if and how they can rely on people in their battle against demons who are deconstructing their mind bit by bit.
The main star of the film is Krishna Mankasingh, a former bodybuilder from Canada who won several accolades in his youth. As Krishna explains the absolutely terrifying aspects of how schizophrenia eats one’s mind from the inside, one cannot help but feel sorry for him. With his marriage straining and his personal life on the verge of explosion, Krishna explains that he found help at a time when he could not see any light by the end of the tunnel. Block by block, the film illustrates the inspiring story of how Krishna builds his life back together after essentially shutting himself off from the rest of the world.
The pacing of the documentary is perfect, and the editing, which weaves three different interviews together, is seamless and smooth. The soundtrack complements the film well with sombre tones denoting the sad bits and inspiring orchestral music accompanying moments where Krishna found renewed hope in his life. With footage of Krishna from his bodybuilding days edited into the narrative, viewers witness a stunning transformation; a lean and mean bodybuilder from his heyday transformed into a completely different person entirely due to a mental disorder that is still taboo in some cultures to talk about. Powerful and moving, ‘Range of eMotion’ succeeds in peeling back the layers of taboo associated with talking about mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bringing everyday people affected by such disorders into the limelight. The documentary is equal parts tragic and inspiring as viewers are shown the level of torture that schizophrenia patients go through and how, in spite of overwhelming odds, these individuals succeed in making the best life for themselves and their families.
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