Films Illustrating Psychopathology Danny Wedding Mary Ann Boyd ...

Appendix G: Films Illustrating Psychopathology 237
Kids (1995) Drama ΨΨΨ
Gritty and disturbing film about urban adolescents,
sex, drugs, and violence. The main character is a
teenager with AIDS who preys on young adolescent
girls, taking particular pride in seducing virgins.
“If you deflower a girl... you’re the
man. No one can ever do that
again. You’re the only one. No
one, no one, has the power to do
that again.”
Telly describes his
fascination with virgins
in Kids
Leolo (1992) Comedy ΨΨΨΨ
Leo, an adolescent boy growing up in a very
dysfunctional family in Montreal, is unable to
accept the reality of his genetic heritage and
concocts a fantasy in which he was accidentally
conceived by sperm that crossed the Atlantic in
a Sicilian tomato. (The film is better than this
brief synopsis suggests.)
Life as a House (2001) Drama ΨΨΨ
Touching film about the transformation of the relationship
between a rebellious, addicted adolescent
(Hayden Christensen) and his terminally ill father
(Kevin Kline).
Lilja 4-ever (2002) Drama ΨΨΨ
Heartbreaking film about a girl, rejected by her
family and society, who seems to meet with
tragedy just when it appears she is headed in the
right direction. Lilja is physically, emotionally, and
sexually abused in the film.
Little Man Tate (1991) Drama ΨΨΨ
Jodi Foster directed this film about a child prodigy
and the tensions that arise between his mother and
the psychologist to whom the child’s education is
entrusted. Foster acknowledged that the film is
partly autobiographical.
Lord of the Flies (1963) Drama ΨΨ
Film adaptation of William Goldman’s novel about
a group of schoolchildren who quickly shed the
thin veneer of civilization and become savages.
Both the film and book raise interesting questions
about nature and nurture. Remade in 1990.
Los Olvidados/The Young and the Damned
(1950) Drama ΨΨΨ
Luis Buñuel film about juvenile delinquency in the
squalid slums of Mexico City.
Magdalene Sisters, The (2002)
Docudrama ΨΨΨ
Troubled adolescent girls are sent to a dehumanizing
boarding home where they are abused,
mistreated and exploited by the nuns who run
the home. One particularly abused adolescent
sexually acts out with a priest and later becomes
psychotic.
Manic (2001) Drama ΨΨΨ
A psychologist played by Don Cheadle tries
to help an angry adolescent. Interesting group
therapy sessions and inpatient hospital scenes
with adolescents who have bipolar disorder, intermittent
explosive disorder, major depression,
self-injurious behavior, and night terrors.
Mommie Dearest (1981) Biography ΨΨ
A film about the pathological relationship between
Joan Crawford and her adopted daughter. The
movie suggests that Crawford suffered from bipolar
disorder.
“What are wire hangers doing
in this closet? Answer me!
I buy you beautiful dresses, and
you treat them like they were
some dishrag. You do! Three
hundred dollar dress on a
wire hanger!”
Joan Crawford in a manic state
berates her daughter
in Mommie Dearest
Monsieur Ibrahim (2003) Drama ΨΨΨ
Heart-warming French film about an adolescent
boy raised by a critical, neglecting father; he
develops a meaningful friendship with a local
store-owner.
My First Mister (2001) Drama ΨΨ
Adolescent girl struggles with severe isolation,
depression, self-injurious behavior, and other acting
out behaviors until she befriends a 49-year-old man.
The teen has a host of behavioral problems including
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)