Films Illustrating Psychopathology Danny Wedding Mary Ann Boyd ...

244 Movies and Mental Illness
Rat Race (2001) Comedy Ψ
Several characters travel long distances in a competition
for monetary reward. One character,
played by Rowan Atkinson, has narcolepsy.
Rounders (1998) Drama ΨΨ
Matt Damon stars as a poker player who has gambled
away his life savings to a Russian mobster,
gives up gambling, and is lured back into the game
by his friend (Edward Norton).
Seabiscuit (2003) Drama ΨΨ
Tobey Maguire plays a disc jockey with bulimic
symptoms in order to keep his weight down and
compete in horse-racing championships. Bulimic
symptoms are fairly common among jockeys,
though this is not an emphasis in the film.
Secondhand Lions (2003) Family ΨΨ
A young adolescent (Haley Joel Osment) is forced
to live with his two rich uncles (Robert Duvall and
Michael Caine), one of whom often sleepwalks.
Secret Lives of Dentists, The (2002) Drama ΨΨ
A married couple, both dentists, is unable to adjust
to both living and working together. One begins an
affair while the other stews in anger.
Story of Us, The (1999) Comedy/Drama ΨΨ
Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer star as a couple
on the brink of separation after 15 years of marriage.
Directed by Rob Reiner.
To Live (1994) Drama ΨΨΨΨΨ
This epic film by Zhang Yimou follows a Chinese
family through tragic and wonderful times. One of
the early struggles of the lead character, Fugui, is
gambling, he loses his family home and his fortune
gambling with dice.
Waking Life (2001) Drama/Animation ΨΨΨ
This unique, creative film follows a character
searching for answers to life’s most important
questions in a world that seems surreal and dreamlike.
The film is a surrealistic blend of animation
and drama with a heavy philosophical and existential
bent. The film questions whether we are sleepwalking
through our days and our lives, and
whether we are more awake when we interact with
others or when we dream.
Wrong Man, The (1956) Drama/Crime ΨΨ
Hitchcock film in which a man and his wife (Henry
Fonda and Vera Miles) become depressed in
response to an unjust accusation of murder.
Violence and Physical and
Sexual Abuse
2LDK (2002) Drama/Action ΨΨΨ
A little known but striking independent film about
two girls rooming together temporarily as they
compete in an acting audition. A simple argument
turns into an outrageously violent battle between
the two roommates. The methods of violence are
unique and extraordinary, despite being contained
in one apartment.
8 Mile (2002) Drama ΨΨ
Director Curtis Hanson depicts the struggles,
racism, and abuse of rapper, Eminem. “8 mile” is
a road in Detroit that represents several cinematic
themes: it is the borderline and boundary between
black and white, city and suburbia, and the
authentic and non-authentic.
Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)
Documentary ΨΨΨ
Nick Broomfield directed this documentary
about serial killer Aileen Carol Wuornos, a highway
prostitute who was executed in Florida in
2002 for killing seven men. The film includes the
filmmaker’s testimony at Wuornos’ trial. (See
also Monster.)
Accused, The (1988) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
Jodi Foster won an Academy Award for Best
Actress for her role as a woman who is gang raped
in a bar. Her character chooses to prosecute for rape
rather than aggravated assault; and the film examines
the legal relevance of lifestyle (alcohol, drugs,
and promiscuity) to the event and the complicity of
bystanders. Based on a true story.
American History X (1998) Drama/Suspense
ΨΨΨ
Edward Norton plays a former skinhead who has
decided to leave gang-life but must also convince
his younger brother.
American Psycho (1999) Drama/Suspense ΨΨΨ
Christian Bale plays Patrick Bateman, a narcissistic
Wall Street executive, who emphasizes excess and
style over substance in everything from business cards
and facial cleansers to restaurant selection and conversation.
He also has a pathologically violent mind.
Amores Perros (2000) Action/Suspense ΨΨΨ
Mexican film with a non-linear plot with various hit
men, murderers, and other perpetrators of highly
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)