10 Movies About Psychotherapists And Psychiatrists
There are many pieces of cinema that can be classified as films about psychology, but There are not many that explore the relationship between therapist and patient or that they show us the consequences that visiting a psychologist or psychiatrist can have for a person.
It is a more specific topic, yes, but no less current, taking into account the number of people who trust mental health professionals to reorient their lives, and the importance that the figure of the therapist has in our collective imagination That is why a list of films about psychotherapists and psychiatrists makes sense: not only does it offer us some clues about how society views the figure of the therapist, but it can even transform the idea we have of this role.
Here you can find a selection of these films. Surely you can think of more, so… Suggestions are welcome!
We begin the list of films about psychotherapy with a classic from the 40s that is, in turn, the film adaptation of a novel. It is about the story of Charlotte Vale a woman long submitted to the will of her mother, that when she comes into contact with a psychologist she sees how the hunger to live life fully and autonomously is born in her That is why he decides to start a journey that will turn his entire world upside down.
One of those films in which the influence of psychoanalysis on Woody Allen, the director of this film. It is about a woman who, from the studio she has recently rented to work, is able to listen to the therapy sessions being offered on the other side of her wall. As a second and involuntary patient, The protagonist will begin to ask herself, for the first time, questions that concern the existential foundations of her own life
3. Ordinary people
One of the great works of Robert Redford as a director and one of the best films about psychotherapists, their patients and the harsh reality that many of them must face. Is about a drama that portrays with great sensitivity the chimeras of each character
4. A dangerous method
The origins of psychoanalysis according to the director David Cronenberg well known for its memorable remake of The fly and the films in which the industrial mixes with the organic. On this occasion, however, Cronenberg abandons the horror genre and the strange relationships between humans and technology. to talk about racing Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud and his methods to help his patients regulate their repressed desires
5. Antwone Fisher
Film based on real events about a marine who is forced to attend therapy for his violent behavior This film marked the premiere of Denzel Washington as a film director, and the truth is that it turned out very well: a sober film that sensitively deals with the personal dramas of the young marine.
6. The Indomitable Will Hunting
A title that already appeared previously in the article on motivational movies is also one of the best movies about psychotherapists It is true that the relationship established between Will Hunting and the teacher is not part of the formal therapeutic framework of a psychological consultation, but it is no less true that the role of the character played by Robin Williams emulates the role that some psychotherapists have when it comes to enhancing their patient’s spirit of self-improvement.
A comedy in which Bill Murray seems to want chase your psychiatrist even during this vacation Of course, the aspirations towards reflection typical of many films about psychotherapists and psychologists give way here to the simple desire to make people laugh and offer fun moments. We won’t complain about that.
8. K-PAX
Dr. Powell sees how his own patient questions the foundations of his own reality, since he claims to come from another planet and seems to have an extraordinary ability to find evidence in favor of his story. In addition to having a hooky script, this is one of those films about psychotherapists and their relationship with patients with more commercial appeal.
The actor Andy Garcia plays Michael Hunter, A psychiatrist who, having spent several years without working in a consultation, decides to treat a young, apparently traumatized teenager However, the fact that Michael sees in the young man the son he lost years ago will jeopardize not only his therapeutic relationship with his patient, but even aspects that affect his own family. A film that makes us reflect on the limits of the relationship framework between the mental health professional and the people he cares for.
10. A dangerous therapy
Finally, to give a touch of humor to the list of films about psychotherapists and patients, we remember that blockbuster film in which Billy Crystal It looked forced to undergo therapy with a gangster (performed, of course, by the magnificent Robert de Niro ).
