I saw it a long time ago, and I remember it since then, this big rabbit named Harvey. At that time, I felt that the movie was about loneliness, and like most people, I was entangled in whether Harvey was real or not. In fact, it now appears that this is a film that has both practical significance of reflection on psychotherapy and social interpersonal communication.
At the beginning of the film, the postman sent a letter and said "it's a beautiful day, isn't it?" Edwood replied, "oh, everyday is a beautiful day." Seeing this, everyone would think that elwood is a very normal, even People who are more optimistic than ordinary people. However, the director didn't give the audience too much time, and directly confessed that elwood has a virtual friend in the next shot. Then as the story progresses, elwood always seems to be inseparable from Harvey. Whether it's a pub, home, or mental hospital, elwood seems to be eager to introduce his friends to others. Elwood has obvious symptoms of alcoholism. Although there is no obvious display in the film, it is obvious that elwood always goes to the tavern to sit and ask for two martinis, and no matter who he meets, he is always hospitable. Invite everyone to be a guest at home. These two points are enough to show that there are at least some problems with elwood's mental state.
But the film downplays this point, it wants to talk about something deeper than this. That is, how should we treat mental patients. Blame everything on childhood? Or is it to put them in a mental hospital? Or, as the film finally shows, admit his existence and affirm his value? (This point actually has its historical background, that is, the general background of the rise of the hospitalization of mental patients in the 1950s and 1960s, until the movement of de-hospitalization emerged in the 1980s)
In the film, elwood healed her sister’s neurosis, promoted mutual understanding between doctors and nurses, and made the dean express his heart in the treatment chair. Became a patient; and elwood sat in an office chair and became a doctor). This is of course an ideal treatment. But everyone is a mirror, even those who look abnormal to you.
So does Harvey really exist or not? It depends on your opinion. If you think that Elwood is a mental patient, he naturally does not exist; if you think that Elwood is a special person of yours, he naturally also exists. It doesn't matter whether Harvey exists or not, it's just your thoughts whether it exists or not.
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