Last night I watched the movie "It's Kind of a Funny Story" and absolutely fell in love with the storyline. The film is based off the book by Ned Vizzini, a young adults author that writes mainly about teen angst and mental health. This little film deals with a lot of heavy issues like depression and suicide from a 16 year old's standpoint in a very subtle yet poignant way. Real world pressures for teens are at times too much to handle. The demands of school, friends, and parents may seem overwhelming and even suffocating.
As a teacher, this film is a wonderful tool to use for upper middle and high school students. It would be great to view and discuss especially with gifted students who will definitely relate to the main character Craig, gifted himself and who exceedingly worries about his future, a trait that is quite common among many gifted children.
If you're into music, then you'll also love the soundtrack which definitely compliments the movie's mood (there's some great tracks by Broken Social Scene).
