It’s a Movie… it’s Psychology!
Watch ten (10) points worth of movies from the attached list (min: four movies). Once you have finished a
movie, complete an analysis of the film using the questions below. Answers may be handwritten on your own
paper, typed and printed out, or handwritten on a printout of this page, whichever is most convenient for you.
Name:
Film Name:
Point Value:
Primary Disorder(s):
Disorders and Symptoms:
1. List the symptoms and possible dangerous actions that the main character(s) displays.
2. Under what circumstances does the onset of his mental disorder occur?
3. List any disorders or symptoms displayed by supporting characters.
Social Effects:
4. How did the condition affect the patient’s life (home, social, work)?
5. If present, how did the supporting characters’ conditions influence or interact with the main character’s
condition?
Representation of the Disorder:
6. How did seeing this movie inform you about the condition with which the characters were dealing? Did it
help in understanding the tendencies, symptoms and the condition itself? Explain.
7. To what extent was the condition ‘Hollywood-ized’? (ex. Exaggerated symptoms, mixed-up symptoms,
extreme examples) What was the purpose of the modification?
8. How might the portrayal of the conditions and those involved impact the audience’s understanding of the
disorder?
Film List: You must watch 10 points worth of movies, total. How you combine movies is up to you.
A note about ratings: Films dealing with psychological themes are not intended for young children. The
disorders themselves, as well as their effect on a person’s life are not the kind of things that show up in a Grated film. The material is adult in nature, but is typically limited to language and adult themes. In this case
“adult themes” does not usually translate to sexual innuendo, etc., but rather is pointing out that young
children are not emotionally equipped for understanding what is “wrong with” the people in the film. As a
result, most of the movies listed below carry a PG-13 or R rating.
Please consult with your parent/guardian in choosing appropriate films. It is easy to complete the project
watching nothing but PG and PG-13 films as 22 points come from movies that carry less than an R rating. We
*may* watch some movies (pending approval) in class.
3 Points
1. Girl, Interrupted; R (various disorders: bipolar, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, personality
disorders, etc.)
2. K-PAX; PG-13 (psychiatric treatment, OCD, psychotic behavior, various others)
3. Gun Shy; R (depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, various) (comedy)
4. Dark Knight; PG-13 (antisocial, narcissism, depression, various others)
5. American Beauty; R (depression, coping, deviant behavior, OCD)
2 Points
6. A Beautiful Mind; PG-13 (schizophrenia)
7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; R (antisocial personality, psychiatric hospitalization)
8. Nell; PG-13 (psychiatry, developmental disorders)
9. Fight Club; R (dissociative identity disorder, depression, “Jung’s evil twin phenomenon”)
10. Me, Myself, and Irene; R (dissociative identity disorder) (comedy)
11. Shutter Island; R (antisocial, dissociative identity disorder, schizophrenia)
12. I Am Sam; PG-13 (developmental disorder, agoraphobia, paranoia)
13. The Hours; PG-13 (depression, suicide)
14. Hamlet (1996-Branagh); PG-13 (depression, schizophrenia)
15. Fearless; R (post-traumatic stress disorder)
1 Point
16. Good Will Hunting; R (adolescent therapy, conduct disorder)
17. Don Juan de Marco; PG-13 (depression, mania, altered states, psychiatrists’ lives-ethical issues)
18. As Good as it Gets; PG-13 (obsessive compulsive disorder) (comedy)
19. Memento; R (amnesia, stress and coping, antisocial)
20. Bourne Identity; PG-13 (amnesia)
21. Awakenings; PG-13 (research psychiatry, catatonia)
22. The Good Son; R (antisocial)
23. Conspiracy Theory; R (paranoia, depression/grief)
24. Psycho (1960-Hitchcock); R (antisocial, dissociative identity disorder, poss. Schizophrenia)
25. Sybil; PG (dissociative identity disorder)
26. Benny and Joon; PG (schizophrenia, various)
27. The Butterfly Effect; R (amnesia)
28. Silence of the Lambs; R (psychotic personality disorder, various others)
29. Clockwork Orange; R (various, psychiatric treatment)
30. What About Bob?; PG (anxiety disorder) (comedy)