Abstract:
This paper supports Boulevard, a 32-minute fictional narrative that follows a man named
Nathan during his journey to make sense of his wife’s sudden self-inflicted death. In his battle to
understand a society that condemns and vilif ies this type of behavior and action, he comes to
terms with a death he feels he could have prevented. This paper examines how an application of
a fictional narrative to address a societal concern can persuade change, while still remaining
educational. Through t he psychological theory of transportation, this paper examines the
powerful impact of persuasive fictional narratives. In this document, I will give a general
overview as to why attention needs to be paid to mental health issues, turn to a review of film
literature to argue why film is a great medium for understanding these issues, and, finally, talk
about my methodology and procedures.
