Movies That Motivate | The Adventures of Motivatorman!: Tip#830: Resilience Resources, Part 12 – Depression & Graham Moore

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Tip#830: Resilience Resources, Part 12 – Depression & Graham Moore - The Imitation Game

Writer Graham Moore gave one of the most inspiring speeches at this year’s 87th Academy Awards when he won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game. His message touched me deeply and was an important, uplifting message about depression. He said…

"When I was 16 years old I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong. And now I’m standing here and so I would like this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit anywhere. Yes you do. I promise you do. Stay weird. Stay different. And then when it’s your turn and you are standing on this stage please pass the same message to the next person who comes along."
See Video Clip

That speech got an emotional, standing ovation and garnered much praise in the media. I felt Moore’s message would make a positive difference for people suffering with depression right now around the world. His speech also inspired me find post Oscar interviews about his depression and insights that may be helpful to you or someone you know in the workplace. Here are key excerpts…

"I’m not gay, but I’ve never talked publicly about depression before or any of that and that was so much of what the movie was about, and it was one of the things that drew me to Alan Turing so much."
Variety.com

"I grappled with very severe depression when I was young, but I would also say this is something that has not gone away," Moore said. "This is something I've had to deal with every single day of my life. It's something that a lot of people deal with but not a lot of people talk about publicly."

"One of the things that's important about depression is it exists entirely independent of the external," Moore said. "It's not like winning a trophy makes depression go away, and I think that's one of the hardest things for people dealing with it. There's no external validation that makes it disappear. You have to deal with it internally."
Chicago Tribune.com

"A stranger came up to me and said, 'I've dealt with depression and with these issues for my whole life. I've never talked about it publicly before. Thank you for doing that. I feel now I can talk to my family about it and talk to the people around me about it,' " Moore says. "I got very teary and we gave each other a hug. Hearing that from strangers was just so meaningful to me."
People.com

These quotes from Moore could go a long way to better understanding mental health and depression. And hopefully he also inspires people to see The Imitation Game that also highlights a movie hero who felt different all his life and experienced both highs and lows.

The Imitation Game (2014)

The historical thriller film, The Imitation Game, is about British cryptanalyst Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) who helped solve the Enigma code during World War II. It is also the story about a gay man feeling different all his life and trying to fit in with society at the time. The film highlights Turing’s brilliance, successes, social awkwardness and final tragedy while showing the excitement of solving a problem that ended up saving countless lives. See: movie trailer

Emmanuel Lopez-Motivatorman
Motivational Speaker & Resilience Expert
Discover How Movies Inspire Resilience in Your Work & Life!
See website: www.motivatorman.com

© Emmanuel Lopez 2015

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Hello Emmanuel

Thank you for this one especially …..

I absolutely agree in what you state “Writer Graham Moore gave one of the most inspiring speeches at this year’s 87th Academy Awards when he won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game. His message touched me deeply and was an important, uplifting message about depression. He said…"When I was 16 years old I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong. And now I’m standing here and so I would like this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit anywhere. Yes you do. I promise you do. Stay weird. Stay different. And then when it’s your turn and you are standing on this stage please pass the same message to the next person who comes along."

I didn’t stay up long enough to watch the end of the Academy awards.

You just passed it on Kudos!!!!!

Catherine; 2:10 PM