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"PinterestFacebookAcademy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson stars in one of the Call Me Crazy short films.\nI&amp;#39;ll be the first to admit it: I love fluff. Whether it&amp;#39;s watching America&amp;#39;s Next Top Model or listening to dance pop like Rihanna&amp;#39;s &amp;quot;Where Have You Been,&amp;quot; I like to keep it light and fun, especially during the spring and summer months. So, it&amp;#39;s likely that you&amp;#39;ll call me crazy for being super stoked about Lifetime&amp;#39;s Call Me Crazy, which is a collection of five short films that airs this Saturday at 8 P.M. CMC tackles the very heavy subject of loved ones struggling with various mental illnesses, such as PTSD, depression, and schizophrenia. Clearly, this isn&amp;#39;t a laughing matter, but because it is something I have dealt with on a personal level (my former college roommate is bipolar), I&amp;#39;m always grateful when mental illness is addressed as opposed to being ignored. But before we get to my reasons why the existence of film series is awesome, let&amp;#39;s check out the trailer:\n1) The all-star cast is a potpourri of fantastic actresses. Let&amp;#39;s be real: mMore often than not, Hollywood does not have three-dimensional characters for women to play. They&amp;#39;re the seductress, the strong and silent wife, the ditz, or the rigid yet successful professional who needs the love of a good man in order to relax, which in movie terms just means wearing one&amp;#39;s hair down instead of in a tight bun and dressing in pastel colors that can be found on Easter eggs. In Call Me Crazy, Jennifer Hudson, Octavia Spencer, Brittany Snow, and Melissa Leo play a mother, wife, daughter, and a counselor, all of whom are complicated characters who are resilient, hopeful, and interesting, which is something that is normally reserved for male characters.\n2) All the films are directed by women (and the entire series is produced by everyone&amp;#39;s favorite girl next door Jennifer Aniston). While complex acting roles are lacking for actresses, what&amp;#39;s even more rare are female directors. In 2011, 5 percent of film and television was directed by women, and in 2012, the number went up to 9 percent. It&amp;#39;s amazing that this percentage is slowly creeping up because it allows for more opportunities for women&amp;#39;s stories to be told, which will lead to more women being employed in Hollywood.\n__3) Addressing mental illness head-on is extremely important. __ Especially considering situations like when in 2005, Brooke Shields spoke about her battle with postpartum depression, and Tom Cruise publicly dismissed it by amounting her struggle to nothing more than a lack of exercise and multivitamins. That exchange only happened eight years ago, which shows how far we still have to go in properly acknowledging and understanding what it&amp;#39;s like to have a mental illness without pretending like it&amp;#39;s NBD (a.k.a. no big deal). And I think Lifetime casting a bevy of famous actresses is a step in the right direction because their involvement illustrates to the world that they recognize and take seriously the issue of mental illness.\n4) We can&amp;#39;t complain about the lack of quality TV and then not support it when something good finally airs. Just like anyone else, I watch a lot of reality TV, yet will turn my nose up at some of it, e.g., ABC&amp;#39;s Splash, because I think I&amp;#39;m above it. And my friends are the same way. We get annoyed when there&amp;#39;s nothing good on TV, but we don&amp;#39;t necessarily watch the potentially quality stuff because...the Kardashians are on the next channel, and they&amp;#39;re a fun time. Well, on Saturday before you go see if a Kardashian rerun is on, go over to Lifetime. Sure, the network has its share of ridiculous films (hello, anything starring Tori Spelling). But the station is giving it the old college try, and I think it&amp;#39;s worth checking out Call Me Crazy so that it will keep making good stuff like this.\n5) Because I love a good cry. Seriously, crying is kind of my seventh favorite thing to do in the world. CMC is guaranteed to make my tear ducts go into overtime like a college basketball game and be the emotional release I&amp;#39;m looking for this weekend. Thanks, Lifetime! I&amp;#39;m looking forward to my living room floor being littered with Kleenex after being inspired, moved, and feeling triumphant.\nTune in tomorrow night to watch the Call Me Crazy: A Five Film on Lifetime at 8/7C."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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