Pop(corn) Psychology: Must See Movies

By Jim McCollum, Summer 2009

I love all sorts of movies—from big popcorn movies to little indie movies--but I wanted to write about a few movies that I think are interesting psychologically. What makes a film interesting from a psychological perspective? Some movies feature psychologists or people with a mental illness, and are interesting because they show psychologists in action. Other movies are about interesting people, and allow me play armchair-psychologist. I think there are many more movies I enjoy in the second category than the first, but here are four films that I think belong in one or both of those categories.

The Up Series (Various Years) – This is a series of films following the lives of ten people, six men and four women, who were first interviewed in the film Seven Up (1964) when they were all seven years old. Since then, the filmmakers have been interviewing them every seven years. The latest installment to be released is 49-Up, when the subjects were all 49 years old. What is initially presented as a series about the differing living conditions between the haves and the have-nots becomes something bigger, stories that feel like they reach into all the nooks and crannies of human experience.

Fearless (1993) – This film tells the story of a man (Jeff Bridges) who is afraid of flying and then subsequently is in a horrible plane crash. This is not only a great movie featuring a cast of talented actors, but I think also has one of the most realistic portrayals of a psychologist in a movie I've seen. The story itself is about trauma, and how one overcomes trauma.

The Iceman Confesses (2001) – This is a documentary about Richard Kuklinski, a hired killer for the mafia. What is remarkable about this movie is that Kuklinski is very candid, and it's shot in a way so that you get a good look at his facial expressions as he talks about his life as a hitman. To me, this is an interesting look at a man who may be a psychopath; does he lack empathy? Is he oddly charismatic? Is he putting on a show for the cameras?

The Thin Blue Line (1988) – This is one of my favorite documentaries of all-time. It's directed by Errol Morris, who has consistently directed interesting, thought-provoking documentaries both before and after he made The Thin Blue Line. This film is about the murder of a police officer in Texas and features interviews with suspects, law enforcement officers, and others involved in the case. Morris developed a unique camera style so that the subjects of the interviews can speak directly into the camera. There is an eerie quality to the film, as if the people in it were talking directly to you, which makes it extremely compelling. Ultimately, the film is kind of a whodunnit, with Morris guiding the viewer through the evidence and judging who to believe and who to not believe.