wtf PTSD

The Railway Man is a 2013 British–Australian war film. It is an adaptation of the 1995 autobiography of the same name by Eric Lomax, and stars Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Irvine, and Stellan Skarsgård.

 

During the Second World War, Eric Lomax is a British officer who is captured by the Japanese in Singapore and sent to a Japanese POW camp, where he is forced to work on the Thai-Burma Railway. During his time in the camp as one of the Far East prisoners of war, Lomax is tortured by the Kempeitai (military secret police). The torture depicted includes beatings, rape, and waterboarding. Some 30 years later, Lomax is still suffering the psychological trauma of his wartime experiences, though strongly supported by his wife Patricia.

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The term, PTSD, is not directly mentioned in the film but it is very apparent from the get-go that the main character, played by Colin Firth, is suffering from this condition. He tries to keep the impact of these symptoms secret but it is having a huge impact on his relationship with Nicole Kidman's character. Many PTSD sufferers don't share their problems with their family but it leaks out into their life and relatiobships. I have attempted to keep as much as possible away from my family, which has been very distressing for me. As part of my treatment, I learnt strategies to share more of my feelings and I found that this was reflected in this film and storyline. The main torturer is eventually found and Lomax meets him, plans to kill him but in the end forgives him; despite never recovering from the PTSD. The film comes to a catastrophic conclusion, which is also something I could relate to. I won't say any more as I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone who hasn't seen this film yet.

 

See official website for further links:

official trailer