Sorrow and Bliss

A darkly humorous yet sympathetic view on living with mental illness.

Martha is a woman whose finds it hard to exist in the world.  Many people have called her a ‘difficult personality’.  On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be anything for her to complain about.  She’s married to the supportive Patrick, and has a close relationship with her sister Ingrid, with whom she can commiserate about their alcoholic mother and bumbling father.  While her job writing online content is unsatisfactory and she’s bored with their suburban existence, there’s nothing really wrong in her life.  Except for the bouts of depression, rage, and a variety of physical symptoms that can come on unexpectedly.  A series of doctors over the years have given different diagnoses and medications with no success.  As her relationships fall apart, Martha hits bottom and moves back home with her parents and finds an unexpected way forward.  While focusing on the conundrum of mental illness – the elusiveness of a diagnosis and the unpredictability of life for those affected, the seriousness is balanced out with sharp humor, tenderness and a cast of well-drawn characters.  For fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Today Will Be Different.