It's Kind Of A Funny Story is a real gem on Netflix. It stars Keir Gilchrist (Atypical) as Craig, a teenager who suffers from depression. Struggling to live up to the demands at school and the high standards expected from his father, Craig decides to kill himself. But, unable to go through it with it, he decides instead to go get help and commits himself to a psychiatric ward. With the teenage ward being renovated, he finds himself mixed in with adults as well as people his own age.
The problem is that within minutes of being there Craig believes he has made a mistake and wants to go home. However, there is a mandatory one week stay so Craig must come to terms with his new surroundings and the patients that are there. One such patient is Bobby (Zach Galifianakis) who on the surface seems to have it all together. But as the story unfolds it's clear that he has his own demons to face.
Also on the ward is Noelle (Emma Roberts) who is coping with a history of abuse by cutting herself. And of course, there is Dr. Eden Minerva played by Viola Davis who is there to counsel Craig.
Over the course of a week, Craig comes to terms with his inability to cope with stress as well as recognise that while he may have problems, they are not quite as bad as he thought. He is still at the point where he can fix what is broken and through his friendship with Bobby finds some comfort in accepting who he is.
It's Kind Of A Funny Story is billed as a drama. And it is. But more than that it's a story about realising that no matter how bad you think you have it, there's is always somebody worse off. In that sense, it's quite a positive story about how friendship can heal and how people can bring out the best in each other. And also how sometimes, things are not really as bad as they seem. It's basically a nice story and one that was lovely to watch.
