At times, being bipolar can be an all-consuming challenge, requiring a lot of stamina and even more courage but when a young girl, Ava, decides to rid herself of her medication, thinking her own strength and will power can fix the chemical imbalance in her brain, it just leads to a recipe for disaster. When Ava finds love on this chaotic path, was it all she needed? Or will things take a turn for the worst.

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Review by Victoria Angelique

It is rare that a narrative film like WHAT GOES UP delves deeply into the choices a person with bipolar disorder makes, particularly when it comes to medication. Ava does what many people that suffer from mental health disorders do, she chooses to stop her medication on her own because she feels better and decides that she no longer needs the daily regimen without consulting a doctor. This has catastrophic effects as the days pass by, with the ominous score foreshadowing the coming events that are about to unfold in Ava’s life. 

The people in Ava’s life mirror those in real life situations when it comes to mental health. Her lifelong friend implores her boyfriend to tread carefully, which indicates that she knows how Ava will react to certain words. It’s only when Ava goes too far, trying to force her into playing a dangerous game that her friend also tries to force Ava to get help. The only calm force, in Ava’s current manic state of mind, is her new boyfriend Jesse. He treads carefully, even saving her life as she feels betrayed by her friends and wants desperately to die. 

Ava’s decision to stop the medication sent her into a manic state. Jesse is written to be a modern prince charming as the man that steps up to save her and stand by her side, when he could have ran since he just met her at the coffee shop he worked that month. There was an instant bond, so he stayed strong and even as she descended into her manic state, he chose not to leave. 

Mental health is a stigma that many people don’t talk about, much less depicted in film. It’s hard to explain the state of mind that a person goes through when medication is stopped, but WHAT GOES UP did it perfectly.