A Closer Look at “Pink Skies Ahead” and its Eccentric Depiction of Anxiety

Photo via Vogue

Serving as Kelly Oxford’s directorial debut, Pink Skies Ahead creates a surprisingly accurate depiction of anxiety-inducing situations and panic attacks, which raises mental health awareness in the media. 

*This media editorial is an analysis that will discuss specific scenes/tropes, so a spoiler alert is in effect! Read with caution*

It’s amazing and personal when movies accurately depict mental disorders. We have The Perks of Being a Wallflower which is about PTSD, and The King of Staten Island in which the main character is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is battling depression. In 2020, Kelly Oxford changed the game in her directorial debut Pink Skies Ahead, a comedy-drama film about unraveling anxiety disorders, which is based on a story from her book When You Find Out the World Is Against You. The film was supposed to premiere at SXSW 2020, but premiered at AFI Festival in October 2020 instead, after it was acquired by MTV Productions. The film was subsequently released in May 2021. 

Pink Skies Ahead takes place in 1998 and follows the vibrant Winona (Jessica Barden), an aspiring writer who has to learn how to navigate through life after dropping out of university, moving back in with her parents (Marcia Gay Harden and Michael McKean), and being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Even though Winona tries to embrace her free-spirit while experiencing unrealistic discomforts, she encounters obstacles that often unknowingly trigger her anxiety. Her panic attacks become more intense and uncontrollable, to the point where she has a mental breakthrough and finally decides to get her life back on track. 

The film ends with Winona finding inner-peace, starts taking anxiety medicine, and plans on heading back to school. Overall, Pink Skies Ahead is perfect in every way – the retro cinematography, the stellar performance of a star-studded cast, and we can’t forget the immaculate direction and screenplay by Oxford. It’s amazing to see how Jessica Barden (known for her work on the Netflix series The End of the F***ing World) embodies Winona’s character, who is roughly based on Oxford and her past experiences with mental health. Because of Oxford’s personal connection, the film proves that it’s more than just a coming-of-age film – it allows you to learn about the protagonist and anxiety disorder with light-hearted comedy, realistic depictions and an authentic characterization.

Mental health representation is prominent in the media, but we rarely see anything about anxiety. It doesn’t get enough recognition like depression, and it’s great seeing Oxford’s realistic depiction of how anxiety can occur. Whether your nerves are taking over at a job interview, you have an imaginary pain in your armpit or are choking on your favorite drink – anxiety and panic can happen at any time and it can be triggered in many ways. The first half of the film showed how Winona was in denial after neglecting her Doctor’s diagnosis and judged the idea of attending therapy. Towards the end of the film, Winona experiences mental breakdowns and finally accepts her anxiety diagnosis. By witnessing the course of anxiety through Winona’s eyes, Oxford successfully reassures the audience that it’s okay to seek help and you are never alone in a tough journey. 

Not only does the film provide a new perspective on a mental health disorder that is often overlooked, it shows  how the decision of doing what is best for oneself is better than following a toxic construct made by society. Winona takes an alternate route to what is expected of young adults – graduate high school, go straight to college and get a job right after. Oxford underlines the authentic issue of the transition from adolescence to adulthood, an issue that a lot of young adults seem to experience, by portraying Winona’s actions of quitting college when she is uncomfortable and takes her time to return. 

Overall, Pink Skies Ahead is a refreshing take on mental health with a genuine main character that anyone can relate to. The moral of the story is that having a mental health disorder is okay, and that you are never a burden to people who wish to help you. Seeing Winona buy her last freezer slushy of the film after seeing everything she’s gone through gives audiences a sense of tranquility, ending on a note that things will always look up and you will move forward, as noted in the film’s title.