Choosing the most psychologically meaningful films of the year is no easy task; after all, there are several hundred films released each year.
How does one go about making this decision? I have no formal rules for this determination, so I suggest using existing guidelines from the two domains in which film and psychology already intersect. First, training programs for aspiring counselors, social workers, and psychologists utilize cinematic representations of mental health problems to facilitate clinical development. As examples, Joker (2019) is commonly assigned in abnormal psych classes, and (on a personal note) students in my current film and psychology course were so captivated by The Three Faces of Eve (1957) that an entire class on the implications of this movie evolved though it was not on the syllabus. In summary, if a film can be used in a training program, I think it must have some level of psychological gravitas.
Some of my guidelines for choosing which films to introduce into training programs include:
- A film presents a realistic depiction of a particular challenge or issue, including mental health concerns.
- A film does not misinform, miseducate, or stigmatize mental health challenges and/or the process of treatment.
The second most common intersection of film and psychology occurs in cinematherapy, the growing practice of introducing movies into therapy to facilitate clinical progress through modeling, inspiration, catharsis, and reflection. This practice is an extension of bibliotherapy, which employs books and other forms of literature to support patients’ mental health. If a film could be considered for use in cinema therapy, it too must have a level of depth and psychological sophistication.
My guidelines for which films to choose for cinema therapy build upon the those created for clinical training programs and include:
- A film offers hope.
- A film leads a person to feel motivated to improve oneself.
- A film leads a viewer to reflect upon their own psychological health, issues, and/or concerns. At the least, it leads viewers to seriously ponder how they would manage similar circumstances.
Films that meet these criteria tend to be character studies and are not necessarily plot-driven; they instead present a character attempting to overcome a psychological obstacle. Sometimes they overcome their challenges, and other times they fail; regardless, growth occurs.
What then are the most psychological meaningful films of 2023? As a practitioner, educator and film reviewer who uses movies for both cinema therapy and the training of aspiring clinicians, I humbly submit the following four titles (in alphabetical order).
"Afire," a title likely known to few since this German-language entry had only a short release in the States and was drowned out by the hype of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer." In this film, prickly and unsuccessful writer Leon (Thomas Schubert) and his friend photographer Felix (Langston Uibel) plan to spend a few days at a private home on the beach to work on their respective projects. These plans are soon upended by the arrival of others as well as an apocalyptic forest fire menacingly approaching their abode.
Many reviewers interpreted this film as a metaphor for global warming; others (including myself) see this as a narrative of personal growth for the central character, who presents with the most fragile ego of any character in a 2023 movie. He is far from successful at the end of the film but is heading in the right direction. This film meets all of the above criteria and includes at least two gasp-inducing surprises certain to stun audiences.
THE BASICS"The Holdovers" (nominated for Best Film at the 2024 Academy Awards) traces the hesitant bonding amongst Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), an embittered literature teacher at a private boys’ boarding school, Mary Lamb (a stunning performance by Da‘Vine Joy Randolph), the school’s head cook, and grieving student Angus Tilly (Dominic Sessa) as they find themselves involuntarily spending a Christmas holiday together. There are no grand plot twists, and this is indeed a character study in which we experience the growth of not one central character but three. This is a film that works for me on so many levels, and meets all of my above criteria, and gives each of these three characters the opportunity to heal longstanding wounds through mutual compassion.
The final two films, in contrast to "Afire" and "The Holdovers," do not offer hope but instead spotlight with clinical detachment the very worst in human beings. Both are certain to enter into the canon of films used in abnormal psych classes in clinical training programs.
"May December" explores the family dynamics of Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianna Moore), her husband Joe (Chares Melton), and their three children. Twenty years earlier, Gracie had initiated a sexual relationship with then-13-year-old Joe, who was 23 years her junior. Now, long after tabloid newspapers have forgotten this tale, a new movie of their story is being produced, which forces this couple to reconsider the choices that were made.
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Finally, "The Zone of Interest" (nominated for Best Film and Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards) offers a chilling study of dehumanization as it meticulously records the day-to-day interactions of the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp and his family living in their Eden-like abode surrounded on all four sides by the towering barracks of the prison. We observe children’s parties, visits from in-laws, and petty domestic squabbles about money and workplace promotions. All the while, a ceaseless soundtrack of gunshots, screaming, barking dogs, and the ominous hum of the machinery of death fills every scene. The juxtaposition of mundane family matters with a soundtrack of genocide is at the very least profoundly disturbing.
My chosen films may be worthy of any filmgoer interested in understanding the best and worst in human beings presented in a realistic, thoughtful, and psychologically incisive manner. Some might not be easy to watch, but they are all worth viewing.