MovieChat Forums > Birdy (1984) Discussion > Fantastic movie about PTSD and other hor...

Fantastic movie about PTSD and other horrors of war


I've been told to watch this movie for about 20 years and today I finally did and was blown away by it. Back in the day nobody really knew the name of this disorder, And wow I love the depiction of their flashbacks and how at times Al didn't realize he was already back from the war.

And the way Birdy dissociated into himself.

It is a bit sad that PTSD nowadays is mostly connected with soldiers, but on the plus side the public has become more aware in general.

Loved the one liner about the spitting guy. That he's doing it, because since the war he's had a bad taste in his mouth.

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This movie is a masterpiece. I watched it for the first time only 2 years ago, and just watched it again a couple nights ago. It's such a beautiful story, and I love how it explores friendship, mental illness, the effects of war, etc. Birdy is such an intriguing character. The scene where he is lying on his bedroom floor and envisions himself flying outside is such an incredible scene. I also really love the score by Peter Gabriel.


Welcome to Fright Night....for real. 

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Back in the day nobody really knew the name of this disorder,


Yes they did. We just started calling it PTSD in 1980. And now there are people who think it should be called PTSI.

It's been called by many names in the past. Why do you think that just because we call it one thing today, that nobody "knew" the name in the past? We change the names of all kinds of things all the time, under the illusion that "NOW we know", or in the shallow belief that changing the name of something, erases the stigma.

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I didn't know about PTSI but I guess what the other poster meant is what I meant to say in my post as well. The public wasn't aware of PTSD, they are becoming more and more aware now.
It seems that in all these years I'm one of the first to mention that this movie is about PTSD, it isn't tagged in that way nor marketed.

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