Movies are Mental

With Shutter Island now in stores on Blu-ray and DVD from Paramount, the film follows a nice long lineage of films that deal with mental disorders. The film was adapted by Dennis Lehane, whose story follows U.S. Marshal Edward “Teddy” Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is investigating the psychiatric facility on Shutter Island, after a patient goes mysteriously missing. Martin Scorsese’s deep film knowledge aids his first real foray into the territory once owned by Alfred Hitchcock, the psychological-thriller, but Shutter Island‘s influences like The Shining and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari only go so far. Shutter Island follows suit in a rich category of movies focusing on mental health and in a fun type of way, shares some common links with those. Today, Killer Film looks at mental illness in film for Movies are Mental!

(Warning! Possible Spoilers ahead!)

- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919): It’s not to hard to see why Scorsese would use this film has a loose framework for Shutter Island. Of course, this film is a pivotal piece of film history, often called the greatest horror movie, but the use of the twist ending, something Shutter Island shares, where the film was told in flashback from a character known as Francis. At the end, we learned that his “story” was all a delusion as he was in the mental institution all along, again something Shutter Island and Scorsese used and honored. It’s the first and best, even if to modern audiences, it’s a stiff feeling film.

- Girl, Interrupted (1999): Personality Disorders are becoming increasing common, as we learn how to easily diagnose them, something both Scorsese and James Mangold use. Even his directorial debut Heavy, explores similar themes, maybe that’s why Ryder really have to push Mangold to direct this good film. Based on a memoir of a teenager’s 18-month stay at a mental institution, the film is noted for its great acting and nominations for Angelina Jolie, even though the book’s author Susanna Kaysen was one of the film’s detractors.

- The Machinist (2003): Still a great underrated film, it too shares a link to Shutter Island as Christian Bale’s character suffers from a Dissociative Disorder, much like-as we learn later-DiCaprio’s character. The Machinist might be notable for Bale’s transformation into a severely emaciated insomniac, who rightfully believes in what he is seeing. Of course, it’s all smoke-and-mirrors since he realizes it was all him, a guilty conscience that forced him into denial. Sounds familiar?

- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975): Hey, they’re all mad in this film! Shutter Island has numerous strings attached to this classic. A great cast, where Shutter Island had Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Jackie Earle Haley, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Emily Mortimer, Cuckoo had Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Louise Flectcher, Christopher Lloyd, and Brad Dourif, making both pictures a great assemble unit, and both film’s had tyrants running the institution, with Fletcher most memorably as Nurse Ratched and Kingsley as Dr. John Cawley. Plus, don’t forget both film’s use of the lobotomy.

- American Psycho (2000): Both films share an interesting angle in which both lead’s are delusional in thinking that what they are seeing is real, but they’ve snapped reality. Certainly, “Teddy” is no Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale again), but both have stressed themselves into a fictional world, that is far more comforting that what’s really going on. Also, both characters are quite alarmed when they realize they’ve been in this “other” world and by each film’s climax, they must choose between reality and face it, or retreat into a far more controlled fantasy world.

- The Snake Pit (1948):A seemingly lesser known film, especially on this list, but the Olivia de Havilland starring Oscar nominated film made waves at the time with accolades and dismisses. Wikipedia‘s plot synopsis states it all: “Virginia, a recently married writer, is hospitalized for a nervous breakdown. Unable to perceive what is going on, for a long time she is not even sure where she is. The film follows her progress through the various wards and her psychotherapy sessions with an understanding doctor. In flashbacks she returns to her childhood and explores incidents which might have caused her breakdown. Over time she gains insight and self-understanding, and is able to leave the hospital. The film also depicts the bureaucratic regimentation of the institution, the staff — some brutal and ignorant, some kindhearted — and relationships between patients, from which Virginia learns as much as she does in therapy.”

The film’s impact far outweighs some of the dismissals from the psychiatric community, as it led to some changes within mental institutions across the US. While, Shutter Island focuses more on a fictional event in the guise of a thriller, their compatibility is unique enough to share some common links.

- Shock Corridor (1963): The great Sam Fuller presented a fine, wicked mystery/thriller set in a mental institution as a journalist seeks to solve a cold case by committing himself to the institution to do so. By the end, he finds himself with an irreparable mental disorder, and is unable to leave. The film is out on the Criterion Collection, a label that has used Scorsese a few times for commentary tracks on various films. If anything, Shock Corridor and Shutter Island share a brotherliness bond with some common themes, more so than any other film on this list.

- Clean, Shaven (1994): This is a unique film, especially because of its objectivity towards schizophrenia, yet Clean, Shaven also features a character wrapped up in a murder mystery of a young girl. In an interview, the director stated “I set it up that Peter, who suffers from schizophrenia, could be the killer, leading the audience down that path, but I withhold proof. There’s no conclusive evidence that he is and if people feel that he’s guilty, I hope that the picture holds them responsible for drawing that conclusion.” Scorsese also leads down a path where he plays with our perception of “Teddy”.

We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven’t you? – Norman Bates, Psycho (1960)

Martin Scorsese crafted a fine film and connecting the dotes between his film and other films that explored similar issues and ideas is just a part of the fun. What are your favorite movies dealing with mental disorders? Agree or disagree? Feel free to email the author at jon@killerfilm.com or leave a comment below!