Films Illustrating Psychopathology Danny Wedding Mary Ann Boyd ...

Appendix G: Films Illustrating Psychopathology 217
Synanon (1965) Drama ΨΨ
Interesting only insofar as the film documents the
treatment methods practiced in this highly praised
treatment program.
Traffic (2000) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
Steven Soderbergh film thematically intersects
the lives of a newly hired government drug czar
(Michael Douglas), his daughter who experiments
with crack, police officers struggling with drug
cartels, and a suburban wife of a drug lord.
Trainspotting (1996) Drama/Comedy ΨΨΨ
A realistic and disturbing film about the heroin
scene in Edinburgh. The film presents accurate
depictions of cold turkey withdrawal. There is one
memorable scene in which a young mother’s baby
dies while she is high, and she immediately needs
a fix to cope with her grief. Several scatological
scenes seem gratuitous and unnecessary.
“I’ve been known to sniff it,
smoke it, swallow it, stick it up
my arse and inject it into my
veins. I’ve been trying to combat
this addiction, but unless you
count social security scams and
shoplifting, I haven’t had a
regular job in years.”
Trainspotting
Veronika Voss (1982) Drama ΨΨ
Rainer Werner Fassbinder film about a German movie
star who becomes addicted to morphine. Fassbinder
himself died from abuse of alcohol and heroin.
Wasted (2002) Drama ΨΨ
Teens, covering up inner pain, fear, and loneliness,
battle their heroin addiction.
What’s Love Got to Do with It? (1993)
Musical/Biography ΨΨ
Excellent film biography of singer Tina Turner
includes some memorable scenes of husband Ike
strung out on cocaine.
Who’ll Stop the Rain? (1978)
Crime/Drama ΨΨ
Also known as Dog Soldiers, this film explores the
world of drug smuggling and addiction.
Sexual and Gender Identity
Disorders
Adjuster, The (1991) Drama ΨΨΨ
This interesting Canadian film explores voyeurism
and exhibitionism.
“Being a man one day and a
woman the next isn’t an easy
thing.”
Bernadette complaining about life
as a transsexual in Adventures of
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
(1994) Comedy ΨΨ
Terence Stamp plays an aging transsexual who
joins with two friends to travel from Sidney to
Alice Springs in the Australian outback to perform
a lip-synching routine. Much of the film revolves
around the prejudice and homophobic hostility the
three transsexuals encounter.
AKA (2002) Drama ΨΨΨ
Fascinating artistry where most of the screen is
split into three where the viewer is simultaneously
shown past & present, different character reactions,
different camera angles, and even the internal
thoughts & behaviors of a character. The lead
character, sexually abused by his father, escapes on
a journey exploring his sexual and psychological
identity. As in Memento, the viewer must pay close
attention throughout the film.
All About My Mother (1999) Drama/Comedy ΨΨ
Pedro Almodovar film about a nurse who tragically
loses her beloved son and in her grief and travels
meets a transvestite prostitute and a pregnant
nun (Penelope Cruz). Winner of an Academy
Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Angels and Insects (1995) Drama ΨΨΨ
Complex drama about social class, passion, and hidden
sexual secrets in a wealthy Victorian household.
Another Time, Another Place (1983)
Drama ΨΨΨ
Sensitive film in which a Scottish woman in an
unhappy marriage has a brief affair with an Italian
From: Wedding, D., Boyd, M.A., & Niemiec, R.M. Movies and Mental Illness: Using Films to Understand Psychopathology
© 2005 Hogrefe & Huber Publishers (www.hogrefe.com)