10 movies about psychotherapists and psychiatrists

There are many pieces of film that can be classified as movies about psychology, but there are not so many that explore the relationship between therapist and patient, or show us the consequences that going through the consultation of a psychologist or psychiatrist they can have for one person.

It is a more specific issue, yes, but no less current, considering the number of people who rely on 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: it not only offers us some clues about how society sees the figure of the therapist, but also can even transform the idea we have of this role.

Here you can find a selection of these films. Surely you will come up with more, so... Suggestions are welcome!

1. The strange passenger

We begin the list of films about psychotherapy with a classic from the 1940s which is, in turn, the film adaptation of a novel. It's about the story of

Charlotte Vale, a woman long subject to the will of her mother, that when she comes into contact with a psychologist, she sees how her hunger to live life fully and autonomously is born in her. That is why she decides to start a journey that will upset her entire world.

2. Other woman

One of those films in which the influence of the psychoanalysis on Woody Allen, the director of this tape. It is about a woman who, from the studio that she has recently rented to work, is able to listen to the therapy sessions that are 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 have to 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 from The fly and films in which the industrial mixes with the organic. On this occasion, however, Cronenberg abandons the horror genre and the strange relationships between human beings and technology. to talk about racingCarl Jung Y Sigmund Freudand his methods of helping his patients regulate their repressed desires.

5. Antwone fisher

Movie 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 unstoppable Will Hunting

A title that previously appeared on the article on motivational films It is also one of the best movies about psychotherapists. It is true that the relationship established between Will hunting and the teacher is not framed within the formal therapeutic framework of a psychological consultation, but it is no less true than the role of the character played by Robin williams emulates the role that some psychotherapists play in enhancing their patient's spirit of self-improvement.

7. What about Bob?

A comedy in which Bill murray seems to want haunt your psychiatrist even during this vacation. Of course, the claims to reflection typical of many films about psychotherapists and psychologists give way here to the simple desire to make people laugh and offer funny moments. We will not complain about it.

8. K-PAX

Dr. Powell see 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 hook script, this is one of those movies about psychotherapists and their relationship with patients with the most commercial pull.

9. The limits of silence

The actor Andy Garcia embodies Michael Hunter, a psychiatrist who, having spent several years without working in a consulting room, decides to treat a young, apparently traumatized adolescent. 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 touch his own family. A film that makes us reflect on the limits of the framework of relationships between the mental health professional and the people he cares for.

10. A dangerous therapy

Finally, to add 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 do therapy to a mobster (interpreted, of course, by the magnificent Robert de Niro).