Horizon: What's the Matter With Tony Slattery?

Horizon: What's the Matter With Tony Slattery? is an emotionally-packed BBC Two documentary film that delves into actor and comedian Tony Slattery’s journey to uncover the root of his severe mental health issues that have troubled him for decades. The 2020 British documentary is a part of the globally acclaimed scientific documentary series "Horizon" and adopted its traditional ethos of investigating pressing issues with a scientific perspective.

Tony Slattery was a household name during the late 1980s and 1990s, best known for his quick-witted humor and improvisation skills on the popular British comedy show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?”. However, the comedic exterior was a façade masking a tumultuous struggle with mental health, occasioned by manic episodes, volatile mood swings, substance abuse, and a veritable cocktail of prescribed medicine.

The documentary is predominantly a road trip taken by Slattery, and his partner Mark Hutchinson, to probe into Slattery’s troubled past and uncertain present. It’s a journey underscored by raw honesty, vulnerability, and an earnest search for answers where Slattery is attempting to disentangle his current mental health state from the effect of destructive past experiences and excessive substance abuse.

Horizon: What's the Matter With Tony Slattery? lays bare the lesser-known nuances of bipolar disorder, a condition Slattery had been self-diagnosing for years. The documentary effectively demystifies the complexities of mental health, offering a tangible understanding of the disorder, its manifestations, and its probable causes. Filmmaker Clare Richards strives to shed light on the ambiguity surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder, in addition to put a spotlight on mental health stigma.

The documentary takes a journey into Slattery’s past, which reveals a lot about his present. It points to the inseparable intertwining of one's past experiences and current mental state. It features interviews with his older brother, his school friends, colleagues, and most profoundly his partner, all of whom provide an illuminating insight into Slattery's life as they remember it.

Central to the film is Slattery's appointment with renowned psychiatrist, Professor Guy Goodwin who specializes in bipolar disorder. Their session is hard-hitting, and often uncomfortable viewing, as Slattery displays an almost palpable vulnerability. He openly discusses his excesses, his fluctuating moods, insomnia, and his struggles with concentration and motivation, bleakly stating, "I don't know who I am," a sentiment that would resonate with anyone dealing with their diagnosis.

While exploring Tony’s story, the film looks at broader issues in mental health. Particularly, it deep-dives into the science behind bipolar and its complex diagnosis process, underlining the weightiness of such conditions. There are many questions asked and few answers given – reflecting the true, complex nature of mental health.

Director Clare Richards brings several threads together to knit a powerful narrative: the enigma of bipolar disorder; the uncharted, often frightened journey faced by people dealing with mental health issues; societal misunderstandings about psychological disorders, and how these all revolve around one man’s brave, ongoing quest for a sense of self and stability.

Horizon: What's the Matter With Tony Slattery? is not only about a widely beloved comedic entity and his battle with mental health - it serves as a broader commentary on our societal understanding of psychological disorders. It doesn't fall into the trap of sugar-coating or romanticizing mental health issues. Instead, it provides an unvarnished look at the raw, crippling chaos mental health issues can unleash on the individual and their loved ones. Most importantly, this documentary urges us to appropriately address, de-stigmatize, and normalize mental health concerns.

While the narrative predominantly strikes a painful chord, the documentary does not entirely lack humor - testimony to Slattery’s quick wit and comedic timing, which comes to the fore during moments of extreme vulnerability and provides a source of reprieve and touching levity.

In the end, Horizon: What's the Matter With Tony Slattery? is an enlightening, heart-rending, and impactful documentary. It presents a poignant and brave portrayal of the chaos of mental illness and the often difficult, long path to finding the right diagnosis. The film is a wake-up call for understanding and addressing mental health with sensitivity, compassion, and care.