Fun Learning: Nonton Film!

bismillah.

Here are some highly recommended movies for psychology students (A-W) from kelas pengantar konseling keluarga dan perkawinan hari ini :

Aviator, The                                                                                                                          

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 2005

Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale

Topics: OCD, Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective

Academy Award winner for Best Supporting actress and other accomplishments (cinematography, etc.).  Excellent movie. There is much room for diagnosis debate - clear OCD symptoms early on, but what about paranoia? Manic-type symptoms? Personality considerations? Be sure to also watch the special features segment on OCD.


Beautiful Mind, A                                                                                                                

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 2001      

Actors: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly

Topics: Schizophrenia

Academy Award winner for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress. Russell Crowe portrays Nash, a brilliant mathematician. There is a major plot twist - stop reading here if you don't want it spoiled…We learn that we are misled - situations and characters turn out to be portrayals of Nash's delusional thinking and hallucinations. We see him spiral downward in the throws of his psychotic thinking or the side effects of his medications. What do you think about the suggestion that he was able to self-challenge the reality of the hallucinations, as at the end of the movie? What do you think this movie did for public perception of schizophrenia? If you really want to know his story, read the book - not an easy read, mind you, but with plenty more information missing from the Hollywood version.


Canvas                                                                                                                                 

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 2006      

Actors: Joe Pantoliano

Topics: Psychosis, Family Dysfunction, Treatment

Seen through the eyes of a young boy, this film demonstrates the impact of schizophrenia on the family. As such, I imagine it would be useful in working with families dealing with mental illness in a loved one. Great music and photography.


Don't Say a Word

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 2001   

Actors: Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, Brittany Murphy

Topics: Treatment, PTSD, Dissociative

The daughter of a psychiatrist is kidnapped and the abductors demand that he break through to a catatonic girl, who holds the secret to the location of a hidden gem, in order to get his daughter back.

Enduring Love                                                                                                                    

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 2004    

Actors: Daniel Craig, Rhys Ifans, Samantha Morton

Topics: Psychosis, Anxiety, Family Dysfunction

This film, base on Ian McEwan's novel, has one of the most unique opening scenes.  Through a chance event, a strange man develops the delusional belief (erotomania) that he has a romantic relationship with a male college professor, who, ironically, lectures on the sociobiology of love. The professor suffers from acute post traumatic stress disorder, coupled with the anxiety of being stalked.


Fight Club

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 1999    

Actors: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter

Topics: Dissociative, Freudian

I thought this was on the list, but Chad Loewen (Trinity Western University) pointed out that it was missing! The film can be considered to be the personification of Edward Norton's psyche. After you've seen it once, watch it again once you know what to look for.


Good Will Hunting

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 1999     

Actors: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck

Topics: Treatment, Personality Disorder

Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor and Writing.  Robin Williams provides psychological treatment for the main character. Some ethical violations, and at first seems like too much self-disclosure, but it served a therapeutic purpose. I'm not quite sure that the catharsis depicted truly would have cured both the Axis I and II disorders depicted in the untreated - "bad (?) " Will Hunting. Academy award winner.


He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (A la folie…pas du tout)                          

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 2002     

Actors: Audrey Tautou, Samuel Le Bihan

Topics: Psychosis, Family Dysfunction

In French with English subtitles.  A young art student is having an affair with a married cardiologist whose wife is pregnant.  She becomes suicidal when it  is apparent that he is not going to leave the wife.  Seems like a classic tale, until the second half of the movie, when the film rewinds and we see all the same events from the doctor's perspective..  This is the case of a delusional disorder subtype. Very entertaining.


I Am Sam

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 2001      

Actors: Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dakota Fanning

Topics: Mental Retardation, Forensic, Family Dysfunction

Sean Penn portrays a man with mental retardation fighting for custody of his 7-year-old child. Sam's group of friends are entertaining - two are truly developmentally disabled - his close neighbor is agoraphobic.  His lawyer is the stereotypical overworked yuppie professional woman, estranged from her family.  The film is a classic tearjerker.  Despite significant research for the film (watch the supplemental documentary), how realistic were the events?  Did he take her to a pediatrician?  Did the pediatrician have any concerns about his care?  Was that a realistic portrayal of cross-examination of an expert witness?  Could Sam really have afforded the apartment at the end in Los Angeles, making somewhere around $8/hour?  What really was in the best interest of the child?  Was the opposing attorney all that wrong?  Many things to consider. 


Kinsey

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 2004     

Actors: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O'Donnell

Topics: Sexual Disorders, Treatment, Family Dysfunction

Very interesting film chronicling the first systematic investigation of human sexual responses. Diagnostic considerations for Kinsey? Good segments demonstrating issues to be considered when conducting psychosocial interviews.


Lars and the Real Girl                                                                                                                                

Genre: Comedy/Drama                      

Year: 2007    

Actors: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Kelli Garner

Topics: Psychosis, Treatment, Family

I thoroughly LOVE this movie. Lars is an office worker in a small time. He's an odd, reclusive guy, but nice and harmless. Exposed to the concept of a "mail order doll" (anatomically correct) by a co-worker, he orders a doll, not for sexual reasons, but as part of a delusional system. Lars introduces her as his foreign girlfriend, who is in a wheelchair. The resulting responses from his family and community, as well as the very empathetic physician, make this a "feel good" movie. One can only hope that this short of film could destigmatize mental illness and model supportive family and community response.


Matchstick Men                                                                                                                 

Genre: Drama/Comedy     

Year: 2003   

Actors: Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Alison Lohman

Topics: OCD, Treatment, Personality Disorder

Nicholas Cage as the con man with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Very entertaining film. Consider the accuracy of portrayal (was it "real" OCD or a conversion disorder, for example). What about the ethics of the treatment he experienced?


Night Listener, The                                                                                                           

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 2006  

Actors: Robin Williams, Toni Collette, Joe Morton

Topics: Personality Disorder

Suffice it to say that this film allows for significant psychological interpretation, including issues not  typically seen in major films. To say more will spoil the plot for you - also why I am not labeling the diagnoses for the film. See it for yourself and be sure to watch the Bonus Feature "The Night Listener Revealed."


One Hour Photo                                                                                                                  

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 2002      

Actors: Robin Williams, Connie Nielson, Michael Vartar

Topics: Personality Disorder

This was a very interesting movie. Pay attention to the sets and use of color. Robin Williams portrays the one hour photo worker who becomes very attached to a particular family. Although some viewed Williams' character as menacing, my take was quite different.


Prime

Genre: Drama/Comedy     

Year: 2005     

Actors: Uma Thurmann, Meryl Streep, Bryan Greenberg

Topics: Treatment, Family Dysfunction

OK, I was "primed" to dislike this movie, based on the trailers. I was pleasantly surprised, but not totally won over. The situation where a client becomes involved with a close family member is a good one and should lead to discussions of dual relationships. What about the direction given by the therapist's therapist?

Quills

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 2000    

Actors: Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix

Topics: Treatment, Sexual Disorder, Personality Disorder

Life in a 1790s mental asylum - all sorts of "treatments" given to the Marquis de Sade as he writes  pornographic plays which are smuggled out of the asylum.

Requiem for a Dream

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 2000   

Actors: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly

Topics: Drugs/Alcohol, Psychosis, Family Dysfunction

Strong portrayals of drug addiction and its costs. Roger Ebert deems it a "travelogue of hell" - for those who have not experienced the torment of drug addiction, here's a guided tour. Consider the different types of addiction and motivations for drug use. Unique film techniques enhance this gripping movie.

Sixth Sense, The                                                                                                                

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 1999  

Actors: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette

Topics: Treatment, Childhood Disorder, Munchausen's by Proxy

Bruce Willis as a child psychologist whose 6-year-old patient claims to see the spirits of dead people around him. Good film; nice plot twist. Also interesting brief portrayal of Munchausen's by Proxy.

Tic Code, The

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 1999    

Actors: Chris Marquette, Polly Draper, Carol Kane

Topics: Tourette's

Story of a boy with Tourette's Syndrome who becomes an underage jazz pianist. He pairs up with an accomplished sax player who, ironically, also has Tourette's and has developed strategies for covering up the symptoms. Interesting contradictions in how each of them views the disorder and the associated stigma. Think about parallels between Tourette's and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. 

Unstrung Heroes

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 1995    

Actors: Andie MacDowell, John Turturro, Michael Richards

Topics: Family Dysfunction, Personality Disorder, OCD

Andie MacDowell portrays a dying woman with a young son, married to an eccentric inventor. The two oddball uncles (one's paranoid, one's a hoarder) come through for the boy with some remarkable insights and wisdom.


Virgin Suicides, The

Genre: Drama                      

Year: 1999 

Actors: James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Krsten Dunst

Topics: Suicide, Family Dysfunction, Depression

What lead to the multiple suicides by sisters? Loss of innocence? Family dysfunction? Much room for interpretation.


Weather Man, The                                                                                                          

Genre: Drama/Comedy     

Year: 2005      

Actors: Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis

Topics: Dysthymia, Personality Disorder, Family Dysfunction

Another "man's search for meaning film."  Serious, yet with plenty of comedy to keep you entertained. Consider the weatherman's diagnosis - dysthymia? Depressive PD? Also, what's your interpretation of the father (Michael Caine)? Some reviewers saw him as a negative character - I disagree and found him to be as supportive as he could be, while recognizing his son's failings.