Films Illustrating Psychopathology Danny Wedding Mary Ann Boyd ...

220 Movies and Mental Illness
The film presents a plausible hypothesis; people
have developed fetishes for stranger things,
and there are erotic overtones to both cars and
speed.
“You couldn’t wait for me? You
did the Jane Mansfield crash
without me!”
One of many strange interactions
in David Cronenberg’s Crash
Crime of Father Amaro, The (2002) Drama ΨΨΨ
A young priest, newly ordained, goes to a small,
Mexican town to serve a parish. He witnesses his
pastor having sex with women and he falls for a
woman whom he secretively uses for sex until she
becomes pregnant.
Cruising (1980) Crime Ψ
Controversial William Friedkin film starring Al
Pacino as an undercover police officer who infiltrates
gay bars and bathhouses. Gay activists condemned
the film because it perpetuates stigma and
stereotypes.
Crying Game, The (1992) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
This Neil Jordan film explores homosexuality,
transsexualism, interracial sexuality, and the ability
of two human beings to love one another
deeply in an asexual relationship. Too complex to
explain simply, the film must be seen to be fully
appreciated.
Damage (1992) Drama ΨΨΨ
A Louis Malle film starring Jeremy Irons as a man
who develops a sexual obsession for his son’s
fiancée. Both the father and the son’s girlfriend
seem powerless to control their erotic attachment
despite its inevitable consequences.
Day in the Country, A (1936) Romance ΨΨΨΨ
Jean Renoir’s adaptation of a short story by Guy de
Maupassant that describes the seductions of a
man’s wife and daughter.
Diary of a Sex Addict, The (2001) Drama ΨΨ
Depiction of a classic sex addict who denies,
rationalizes and continues a series of affairs until
he finally can deceive no longer. He continues his
compulsive behavior, even after the consequences
of this behavior are almost fatal. The film offers a
realistic portrayal of a sex addict.
Therapist: “Which one is really
you? The family man or the other
guy?”
Patient: “Both”
The Diary of a Sex Addict
Door in the Floor, The (2003) Drama ΨΨ
A couple separates after the death of their twin
sons. The catalyst for the breakup is Eddie, a 16
year old who takes a job as Jeff Bridges’ assistant.
Eddie is infatuated by Kim Bassinger and masturbates
using her photos and undergarments to
become aroused. Bassinger eventually seduces
Eddie, who reminds her of her dead sons. Based on
a novel by John Irving.
Dreamers, The (2003) Drama ΨΨΨ
Fraternal twins take in a roommate in this
Bernardo Bertolucci exploration of politics, the
cinema, and sexuality. The dynamics become complicated
when the new roommate falls in love with
the female twin, taking her virginity and challenging
her enmeshment with her brother.
“A filmmaker is like a peeping
Tom, a voyeur. It’s as if the
camera is the key to your parent’s
bedroom and you spy on them
and you’re disgusted and you
feel guilty but you can’t… you
can’t look away.”
The Dreamers
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About
Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) Comedy ΨΨΨ
Woody Allen classic includes vignettes on crossing-dressing,
bestiality, sex in public, and the inner
workings of the brain during sexual excitement.
Evil Alien Conquerors (2002) Comedy Ψ
Painfully bad film in which Saturday Night Live
star, Chris Parnell, has a foot fetish.
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)