Mental illnesses are common among humans. But sometimes, they take the form of something extraordinary, that every other individual who is not acquainted with the illness will find miraculous. This very uncertainty of certain mental disorders makes the illnesses favored by various filmmakers in the world, as a subject of their storyline of course. They know that this extraordinary uncertainty will surprise, rather shock, their audience as the movie draws to a close. But sadly enough, most filmmakers falter in the execution part. There are a few who have managed to execute the unique mental disorder storyline so beautifully as to keep the audience to the edge of their seats throughout the length of movie. Three of such best movies are as follow.

- Psycho (1960): One of Alfred Hitchcock's best movies had also received mixed reviews soon after its release. The four Academy Award nominations came much later when the high box-office earning forced the critics to reconsider the movie. Today, the movie is considered as one of the best artworks in cinematic history. It tells the story of an office worker Marion and a quiet man Norman, the Manager of the hotel she is lodged in; and there is no romance brewing. You may imagine such a straightforward plot in the hands of Alfred Hitchcock, a veteran filmmaker with a plethora of masterpieces under his belt. Norman, the manager of the hotel, is incidentally affected with a dissociative disorder, just so you know.

- One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975): Probably, the finest movie on the subject of mental illness. And I'm not saying this just because the movie made a clean sweep at the Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Actor In A Lead Role, Best Actress In A Lead Role, Best Director, Best Screenplay), nor because it is ranked 20th on the American Film Institute's '100 Years€¦100 Movies' list, but simply because it kept me hooked on to the movie screen right till the end. Not once did my attention waver, and that is saying something. The movie tells the story of McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) who breaks the law, again, but manages avoid prison by pleading insanity. While in the ward for the mentally unstable, he inspires his inmates to overthrow the nurse's oppressive tactics.

- A Beautiful Mind (2001): The movie is adapted from a book with the same name by Sylvia Nasar. It is a biopic on the famous mathematician, John Nash, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994. He was a schizophrenic who made an excellent comeback into the social life. The movie charts Nash's entire life story right from the time he was about to graduate. His character, portrayed by Russell Crowe, is more than convincing - it is lifelike. Ironically, the movie bagged every other Academy Award except the one for the Best Actor, namely the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and the Best Supporting Actress. While the movie did receive critical acclaim, it was harshly criticized for getting some aspects of Nash's life wrong.