Mind Reeling

This collection looks at how movies portray psychological disorders and why audiences find those portrayals so gripping. Bipolar disorder, amnesia, psychotic delusion, compulsive rituals, trauma, paranoia and borderline personality all receive attention.

The scope covers many kinds of film, including biographical pictures, comedies, noir, present-day dramedies, thrillers, gothic mysteries and docufictions. Several of the works discussed have rarely drawn critical notice. The essays concentrate on the filmmaking choices that shape how viewers come to understand madness, trauma and illness.

The contributors approach the public's fascination with serious mental disturbance on screen from several critical angles. The result is a close study of the artistic and genre conventions behind today's cinematic images of mental illness.