Posts by driftingdrifter4

I found myself somewhat less impressed with the sequel than I was with the original. For the most part, the film held up quite well, but once we hit the halfway mark, the pacing became incredibly disjointed. It felt as though they tried to cram an entire trilogy's worth of plot into the final thirty to sixty minutes. By the end, the conclusion felt rushed and unceremonious, almost as if the production crew was simply desperate to wrap filming and head home.

Part One: 8/10
Part Two: 6.5/10

A mediocre 8/10

I sat through the first thirty minutes once, but I had to cut it short. On my second attempt, I managed to make it all the way to the scene where the character gets poisoned, yet even then, I couldn't bring myself to continue because the pacing felt incredibly repetitive. Perhaps on a third try, luck will be on my side and I'll actually finish the thing.

To me, your symptoms point toward an orthopedic or neurological issue rather than anything psychological. Aside from the fatigue and stomach issues, everything else doesn't quite fit. Mental health struggles usually manifest through more vague, subtle symptoms than what you're describing. I suspect there might be something physically occurring in your lower spine.

My advice is to visit your primary care physician and describe your symptoms—specifically the pain in your lumbar region and your feet—exactly as you have laid them out here. Tell them the pain has intensified and that you are experiencing new sensations that haven't occurred before. Crucially, do not lead with or suggest that this is related to depression. Doctors in the US are incredibly overworked; they often have less than five minutes per patient and are frequently eager to dismiss patients who attempt to self-diagnose their issues as stress or depression. If you suggest it's psychological, the doctor will likely just chalk it up to stress to wrap up the appointment quickly, rather than asking follow-up questions or ordering blood work.

Furthermore, exhaustion without an obvious external cause (other than depression) can sometimes indicate hypothyroidism, anemia, or hypocalcemia. Lower back pain can stem from various sources, such as herniated discs or spinal degeneration, but it can also be linked to prostate issues (do you experience frequent nighttime urination or any issues with ejaculation?).

Vague bone pain can also be a symptom of hypo- or hypercalcemia. Hypocalcemia, specifically, is characterized by a triad of symptoms: exhaustion, paresthesia (tingling sensations), and anxiety.

Therefore, my recommendation is to present your physical symptoms to your doctor clearly, without attributing them to mental health or stress. Request a full blood panel that includes thyroid hormones, hemoglobin, calcium levels, and a PSA test. A follow-up X-ray or CT scan of your spine would also be prudent. Only if all those clinical indicators come back normal should you consider the possibility that it is purely psychological.

Donna Sanchez5 said:Hi everyone,

I’ve been in therapy for five years now—I don't have a formal diagnosis, but that doesn't mean my head isn't a chaotic place. On the contrary. For a long time, I've dealt with persistent anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Things took a turn for the worse during the COVID lockdowns—likely due to the general isolation—and my symptoms flared up significantly. On top of all that, I struggle with health anxiety, which is really what I want to focus on right now...

Here’s the situation: I have existing health issues (primarily spinal issues) that cause chronic pain, which I believe heavily impacts my mood and depression. However, lately, I've been experiencing pains in that same area that feel fundamentally different from anything I've felt before. My psychiatrist believes these pains—and my overall mood—are being driven by a massive spike in depression, and he's suggesting medication. I’ve never taken anything before, so I'm feeling very cautious—skeptical, even—about whether I should start this path.

The biggest mental block for me is simply not being able to wrap my head around the idea that depression could actually cause this kind of physical pain. The depression is a certainty, but I'm stuck in a "chicken or the egg" loop. I'm terrified that there's an underlying physical issue—maybe something like an autoimmune disorder—causing the pain, which then triggers the depression, rather than the other way around.
Has anyone else dealt with this?
Specifically, those with significant physical symptoms: constant aches similar to rheumatoid arthritis, tingling, stomach issues, etc.

Where exactly are you feeling this pain? Does the tingling occur when you take rapid, deep breaths during an anxiety attack? Or does it persist constantly, regardless of your breathing or mood? Is the stomach pain continuous, or does it flare up during meals or when you are hungry? Could you describe the spinal pain in more detail? Which part of the spine? Could it perhaps be your neck? Do you experience pain in your arms or hands? In what specific ways has your current state worsened compared to how things used to be?

mistybison said:An unusual film. 🙂

Very well shot.

I agree.

Have you seen it?

lonepilot54 said:Is this the movie you mean? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5377190/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt I don't see any indication here that it's an American production.

That isn't the one. It's an American film from 2020. If I recall correctly, they started filming back in 2017, though it didn't actually hit theaters until 2020.

Here is the correct link: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt6087226/

Filmcina! Truly excellent. I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical at first simply because it's a Russian production; sometimes Russian filmmakers tend to lose their way mid-story, much like we often do here in the States. But this isn't one of those instances. Everything—from the visual effects and the pacing to that incredible ending—is world-class. If you're a fan of Inception, Dr. Strange, or Annihilation, then this is absolutely your kind of movie. It genuinely caught me off guard in the best way possible, which is why I felt compelled to mention it in the recommendation thread. 👍

I have managed to resolve the issue in the meantime. Admins, please feel free to delete this thread.

Greetings, everyone.

I find myself facing a rather frustrating technical issue. About three and a half months ago, I purchased an HP laptop. In an effort to maximize battery life, I have been frequently adjusting the screen brightness. Everything functioned perfectly fine until recently, when a specific problem emerged.

To be precise, I attempted to increase the brightness from 5% to a higher level because the daylight was causing significant glare on the screen. While the slider on the scale moves as intended, the actual brightness of the display remains completely unchanged. 👎

My process is straightforward: I navigate to the desktop, right-click, enter the display settings, and go to "Screen: Brightness and Color." There, I attempt to slide the brightness up, but nothing happens—the light levels remain static.

I also tried using the F3 function key, but the result was identical.

Is it possible that the hardware itself has failed, rendering the brightness adjustment impossible, or is this more likely a software-related glitch? It seems quite odd to me that a relatively new laptop would suffer such a malfunction after only a few months of use. Are there any other troubleshooting steps you would recommend I try?

p.s. Fortunately, the current brightness is sufficient for basic tasks, so it isn't a total dealbreaker—I can simply dim the room during the day to make it workable. Still, the situation is quite irritating and keeps bothering me. I would truly appreciate knowing what is causing this.

Thank you for your assistance.