Films Illustrating Psychopathology Danny Wedding Mary Ann Boyd ...

222 Movies and Mental Illness
(Harvey Keitel) whose role is to isolate the subject,
provoke them, and then reintegrate them into the
family. His power role reverses and he finds himself
developing a sexual obsession.
In the Realm of the Senses (1977) Drama ΨΨΨ
A sadomasochistic relationship intensifies into highly
graphic and unforgettable scenes of autoerotic
asphyxiation and the severing of an adult penis.
Intimacy (2000) Drama ΨΨ
Depressed man and woman meet for anonymous
sex in a dilapidated apartment once a week. The
man becomes curious about the woman and follows
her to learn more about her. Slow, dark film
that depicts the double life of the addict.
Ju Dou (1990) Drama/Historical/Romance ΨΨΨΨ
Wonderful, visually stunning film examining the
complex links that bind a husband, his wife, her lover,
and the son of the illicit union. Good illustrations of
sexual passion and sexual torment.
Jules and Jim (1961) Drama ΨΨΨΨΨ
Beautiful and engaging Truffaut film about a complex
ménage à trois and an ultimate suicide. The
film deals with far more than sexuality; it explores
fundamental dimensions of human relationships
and the boundaries of friendship and love.
“Love is the answer, isn’t it?
But, sex raises a lot of very
interesting questions.”
Liam Neeson as Alfred Kinsey
in Kinsey
Kinsey (2004) Drama/Biography ΨΨΨΨ
Examination of the life of Alfred Kinsey, a sex
researcher who revolutionized the way Americans
viewed sexuality. The film depicts Kinsey’s
obsessive-compulsive personality, his inability to
connect in deep way, and the failure to set boundaries
for his own (and his research team’s) sexual
practices.
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) Prison ΨΨΨΨ
A homosexual and a political activist share a prison
cell and grow to understand and appreciate each
other. William Hurt won an Academy Award for
his performance.
Kissed (1996) Drama ΨΨΨ
A controversial but sensitive film dealing seriously
with necrophilia. Molly Parker is the protagonist, a
young woman obsessed from childhood with
death. She gets a job in a mortuary and has ritualistic
sex (“crossing over”) with the bodies she
embalms. Her boyfriend commits suicide in an
attempt to compete for her affection and attention.
“I told them my father was
a Cultural attaché. What
will they think when they
find out he lives with a
drag queen?”
Renato’s son
in La Cage aux Folles
La Cage aux Folles (1978) Comedy ΨΨΨ
A gay man and his transvestite lover manage a
popular St. Tropez nightclub. Much of the humor
revolves around sex roles and the folly of trying
very hard to be something you’re not.
Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989) Drama ΨΨ
A film based on a controversial book about life in
a sordid Brooklyn neighborhood. The film deals
with rape, prostitution, homosexuality, and transvestism,
but mostly with the sad and bleak reality
of the lives of its characters.
Last Tango in Paris (1973) Drama ΨΨΨΨΨ
Marlon Brando stars in a classic Bernardo
Bertolucci film about a man who begins a casual
sexual liaison on the day his wife commits suicide.
The two lovers never exchange names. The film
includes themes of depression, sexuality, loneliness,
and cynicism.
Lianna (1983) Drama ΨΨΨ
Sensitive film portraying the emotional life of a
woman who leaves her husband and two children
after she becomes romantically involved with a
lesbian professor teaching a night course in child
psychology.
Lolita (1962) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
James Mason and Sue Lyons star in a loose adaptation
of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel about
pedophilia and murder. Laurence Olivier turned
down the role of Humbert Humbert. Directed by
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)