Films Illustrating Psychopathology Danny Wedding Mary Ann Boyd ...

256 Movies and Mental Illness
Quills (2000) Drama ΨΨΨ
Geoffrey Rush stars in this Philip Kaufman film
about the notorious French author who is responsible
for the word sadism. The film depicts the abuses
that occurred in the eighteenth century in the
Charenton Insane Asylum, a mental hospital located
in the suburbs of Paris. The Marquis de Sade
died at Charenton in 1814.
“I write of the great, eternal truths
that bind together all mankind.
The whole world over, we eat, we
shit, we fuck, we kill and we die.”
The Marquis de Sade describes
his views on literature in Quills
Rampage (1992) Drama/Thriller ΨΨΨ
William Friedkin film about a sociopath who is
arrested and tried for murder. The film raises
important questions about capital punishment, the
not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) plea, and
the role of the expert witness in the courtroom.
See You in the Morning (1989) Drama ΨΨ
A film about a Manhattan psychiatrist with multiple
problems, including a failed first marriage.
Interesting group therapy sequences and lots of
speculation about motivation and purpose.
Shock Corridor (1963) Drama ΨΨ
Samuel Fuller film in which a journalist has himself
admitted to an insane asylum in order to get an inside
story on a murder but soon becomes psychotic
himself. The film is better than it sounds.
“Good night and sweet dreams...
which we’ll analyze in the
morning.”
Dr. Alex Brulov
in Spellbound
Spellbound (1945) Thriller ΨΨΨΨ
Ingrid Bergman plays a psychiatrist treating
Gregory Peck’s amnesia. Salvador Dali helped
design the film’s dream sequence. Producer David
Selznick wanted the film to be based on his own
experiences with psychotherapy and he used his
own analyst as a technical advisor. Watch for the
Hitchcock cameo.
Still of the Night (1982) Thriller Ψ
A psychiatrist becomes romantically involved
with a woman who may have murdered one of
his patients.
Teresa (1951) Drama Ψ
Notable only because it stars Rod Steiger in his
first role. Steiger plays a psychiatrist in the film.
Through a Glass Darkly (1962) Drama ΨΨΨΨΨ
Classic Bergman film that follows the life of a
mentally ill woman after she is treated with ECT
and released from a mental hospital.
Touched (1983) Romance Ψ
Two patients on a psychiatric ward fall in love and
try to set up a life together after they escape.
“I’m not a shmuck Bob, and I’m
not going to let you breeze into
town and steal my family away
just because you’re crazy enough
to be fun.”
Dr. Leo Marvin to patient Bob
Wiley in What About Bob?
What About Bob? (1991) Comedy Ψ
Bill Murray plays Bob Wiley, a patient who
becomes overly dependent on his therapist, Leo
Marvin, played by Bill Murray. The film is very
funny, and it raises interesting questions about
transference and countertransference. Note the inane
discussion of potential psychotropic medications.
Whispers in the Dark (1992) Thriller/Drama ΨΨ
This murder mystery revolves around a psychiatrist
who becomes overly involved in the lives of
her patients. Mainly useful as a vehicle for discussion
of professional issues and lessons on how not
to behave in therapy.
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)