Mike Birbiglia’s romantic comedy ‘Sleepwalk With Me’ is ready for screening. It features a man reeling under the pressure of grim career prospects and a chronic sleepwalking disorder. Sleepwalking is a debilitating condition that messes up one’s personal life; it can almost make one an impotent human being. Can this man still manage to seek love and stay afloat in the troubled waters? The answer will be served by Mike Birbiligia’s romantic comedy.

Love has often been depicted as an emotion that defies sanity- an overflowing affection that makes you forget the whole world except its center of attraction. In the all-encompassing romantic movies, we have seen the meeting of two souls, where one is in grips of a serious mental illness. Here’s a brief look at the romantic sagas with mental illness at their crux:

The Fisher King- Released in 1991, the Terry Gilliam movie restates the universality of romance: an individual with an almost dead career looks to perk up widowed Robin Williams, who is not an easy man to talk with. He had lost his ability to reason a long time back. Terry Gilliam took the risk to unleash a new avatar of love and viewers went gaga over his take on romance.

Truly Madly Deeply: The 1990 movie, Truly Madly Deeply was truly madly deeply in every sense of the phrase. Scripted by Anthony Minghella, it had Juliet Stevenson as the leading lady. She loses all interest in life post the demise of her boyfriend. The lost vigor returns when she is infused with the belief that her lover is back. He is the same good-looking man, who is as near to her as he is far. Although he shows interest in her, he keeps his interests as well.  Juliet’s eyes open up and she realizes his follies. At the end of it all, she is in the company of a psychologist. Has she found true love again?

As Good As It Gets: Screened in 1997, As Good As It Gets revolves around a bestselling writer with diseased thoughts, multiple phoebes and eccentric behavior. Despite his unsociable personality, there’s one woman who accepts him as he is. Jack Nicholson enacted the main character that evoked laughter and strong emotions among the viewers. His performance was recognized with an Academy Award.