Kellie Forziat
Period 5
12-21-09
What Dreams May Come.
Resource
Title
Identification:
What Dreams May
Come.
Plot
Overview:
Resource
Summary:
Term 1:
Depression
Author/
Director
Publish/
Release
Date
October 2,
1998
Publish/
Release Company
Director: Vincent
Polygram Filmed
Ward
Entertainment
Writer: Richard
Matheson
Screenplay: Ronald
Bass
Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra star as Chris Nielsen and Anne Collins- Nielsen a
happily married couple. There is a terrible car accident, which kills their two children. After the
accident Annie becomes mentally unstable and is put into an institution. Four years have passed
and the couple reunites. Ironically, on the anniversary of the accident, Chris is killed in a car
accident. He becomes lost in a heaven of his wife’s paintings, and is unable to be happy without
her. Annie commits suicide by guilt and finds herself in hell. Chris's goal is to rescue her soul
from hell, and comes across some haunting things of his past.
Annie Collins and Chris Nielsen met in Switzerland, and got married shortly after. They have
two children Ian, and Marie. They are both killed in a car accident. Annie becomes mentally
unstable from the guilt that she has following the event, and tries to commit suicide. Chris and
Annie talk about divorce after Annie is institutionalized, but decide against it. Annie recovers
eventually in the institution. The anniversary of the accident comes rolling around, on his way
home Chris is killed in a car accident, and dies. He wakes up to find himself in an afterlife and
meets a man named Albert who he thinks was a friend from the medical residency. Chris points
out a blue Jacaranda tree, which matches one of Annie’s paintings. Albert tells him that they
were soul mates because after death they remain in each other’s thoughts after death.
Later on Chris meets Leona, who shows him the children heaven. Chris recognizes her as
his daughter Marie. In her heaven she took the form of an Asian because he once told her that
Asian woman were graceful, lovely, and smart. She liked the sound of that.
Back in the real world, Annie ingests poison and dies. Albert reports the news to Chris who is
glad that her suffering is over. He later learns that suicides are sent to hell. Chris becomes
obsessed with saving her soul. Albert explains to him that no one has been able to save a soul
like that but promises to find him a "tracker", who will be able to help aid him in finding Annie’s
soul.
Chris journeys to hell and comes across hundreds of souls. He finds himself thinking about
memories of Ian, and his under achievements. He sees Albert about to confront a group of guys;
at this moment he realizes that Albert IS actually Ian. Albert listens to Ian as he tells his dad why
he chose to become Albet, "It was the only way he would listen to him." After they finish their
conversation Chris meets up with the tracker and searches for Annie.
They arrive at a private deck where they see Annie’s face. Chris runs to her but the floor he is
on gives. The tracker warns him that if he stays too long, he could be comes trapped as well.
Annie does not recognize Chris and he is about to give up and just join her forever despite that
she may never know who he is. This goes back to the same behavior of when Annie was first
institutionalized. Annie finally recognizes him and they are able to escape into heaven. They are
both reunited with their children. The film ends by repeating Chris and Annie's original meeting.
Depression: A depressive disorder interferes with the tasks in the daily life. Along with the
people around the depressed who are constantly being pushed away. People with severe
depression can get better with treatment such as medication and psychotherapies. If it goes
untreated the consequences may grow much more severe leading to death by suicide.
Term 2:
Guilt: A cognitive or emotional experience that exists when a person realizes that they were
Guilt
responsible for what happened, and the consequences that come with that. Psychopaths do not
feel a sense of guilt. Everyone is affected differently to it, depending on the situation.
Manifestation Annie had a depressive disorder, which interfered with her daily life along with Chris who stood
1:
by her and tried to take care of her. The symptoms interfered with Annie’s abilities to work and
sleep, eventually leading her to try and commit suicide. People with severe depression can get
better with treatment such as medication and psychotherapies
Manifestation Annie’s guilt after the accident killing her children grew so strong that she developed a
2:
depressive disorder. It was a mixture of depression and guilt that lead her to the first suicide
attempt and to the second one, which eventually killed her.
Manifestation
3:
Chris felt a sense of guilt that Annie would be living eternally in hell. He knew that she felt
helpless and could not overcome her feelings due to the loss of her children. He went on the
dangerous journey not only because he loved her, but also because he could not bare the thought
of her being miserable in hell forever.