Films Illustrating Psychopathology Danny Wedding Mary Ann Boyd ...

Appendix G: Films Illustrating Psychopathology 249
M (1931) Crime/Drama/Horror ΨΨΨΨΨ
A must-see Fritz Lang film (his first “talkie”) starring
Peter Lorre as a sexual psychopath who
molests and murders little girls. When tried by a
vigilante jury, he pleads irresistible impulse, but
the jury is not impressed.
Magdalene Sisters, The (2002)
Docudrama ΨΨΨ
Troubled adolescent girls are sent to a dehumanizing,
boarding home where they are treated by nuns
who run the home with abuse, neglect, and humiliation.
The film follows four girls in particular as
they experience and respond differently to the
highly abusive situation.
Midnight Express (1978) Biography ΨΨΨ
True story about an American college student who
is busted for trying to smuggle two kilograms of
hashish out of Turkey and is treated brutally in
Turkish prisons before eventually escaping.
Monster (2003) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
A powerful film based on the life of Aileen Carol
Wuornos, a highway prostitute who was executed
for killing seven men in the state of Florida during
the 1980s. (See also Aileen: Life and Death of a
Serial Killer.)
Murder in the First (1995) Drama ΨΨ
A man imprisoned in Alcatraz for petty theft in the
1930s is put in solitary confinement for three years,
becomes deranged, and then kills a guard. The film
suggests the system is to blame for the crime.
Based on a true story.
“Insane, no. Psychotic, yes. A
menace to living creatures, yes. But
to suggest that they’re insane gives
the impression that they don’t
know right from wrong. Mickey
and Mallory know the difference
between right and wrong. They just
don’t give a damn.”
A psychiatric opinion
in Natural Born Killers
Natural Born Killers (1994) Crime/Drama ΨΨΨ
A violent Oliver Stone film based on a story written
by Quentin Tarantino and starring Woody Harrelson
and Juliette Lewis. The film depicts a couple who
celebrate their roles as mass murderers and find their
new status as cult figures a welcome reprieve from
the dreariness of the life they left behind.
Night Porter, The (1974) Drama/War ΨΨ
A former Nazi officer who sexually abused a 14year-old
girl in a concentration camp has the tables
turned on him when she shows up at the hotel in
which he works. This is one of several films linking
Nazi practices with sadomasochistic sex.
No Man’s Land (2001) Drama/Suspense ΨΨΨΨ
A Bosnian escapes a firing attack and finds himself
in “No Man’s Land” between enemy lines. A
Serb goes to ensure there were no survivors and
finds himself in a standoff with the Bosnian.
Another Bosnian survivor, barely alive, awakes on
top of a land mine that will explode if he rises.
Heated debates, murder attempts, threats, desperation,
and hopelessness characterize each of the
three men.
“It’s the same old story. I’ve got
to learn to keep my mouth shut.”
Beth blaming herself for the
beating she has received
from her husband in
Once Were Warriors
Once Were Warriors (1994) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
Important New Zealand film about substance
abuse and domestic violence among urban Maori
tribes people. The film will help you understand a
different culture, as well as the ways in which alcoholism
interacts with spousal and child abuse in
almost every society.
Passion of the Christ, The (2004)
Drama/Biography ΨΨΨΨΨ
Mel Gibson film depicting the violent torture and
suffering of the final hours of Jesus Christ. This
highly controversial film is intensely graphic and
visual in its portrayal of violence. It is interesting
to note that it is Mel Gibson’s hand that nails
Jesus to the cross.
Peeping Tom (1960) Thriller ΨΨΨ
Controversial film about a psychopathic murderer
who photographs his victims as they die.
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)