Psychoanalysis is a very interesting subject and it is not strange to notice how many films about psychoanalysis If you have come this far, it is because you want to know some of them, right? So, don't worry: in this article we list 10 films about psychoanalysis that we consider essential.

We hope you enjoy this list!

1. Freud, Beyond the Soul

This is a 1962 film by Jean-Paul Sartre, and is set in 1885. However, despite the title, the film goes far beyond telling the story of Sigmund Freud. The film is an insight into psychoanalysis and its ability to help people cope with trauma, as well as understanding how the human mind works.

This work relates that Freud makes advances using hypnosis, while his colleagues refused to treat hysteria. This is because they believed that hysteria was actually some kind of simulation, that is, pretense. However, Freud's main patient was a young woman who did not drink water and had nightmares on a daily basis.

2. melancholy

This Danish film and was released in 2011. It is an extremely melancholic film, but for this very reason it cannot be left out of our selection of films about psychoanalysis.

It is an independent film with science fiction references written and directed by Lars von Trier It portrays the daily life of two sisters during and after a marriage, based on a psychological drama about the end of the world.

The film has two great chapters that, even though they seem to be two distinct films, have a connection This connection is not simple and shows von Trier's pessimistic view of society: In the event of a collision between Melancholia and Earth, our planet would not survive. However, Trier shows that a collision is not necessary for catastrophe to occur, because it has already begun.

3. perfume: the story of a killer

The release of this film was 2006. It is about a thriller that relies on murder to create the world's best perfume. The person who wishes to create this perfume is Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. He was born in 1738 in a fish market in Paris. From a very early age, this individual realizes that he has a refined olfactory perception.

Over time, he survives labor difficulties in a leather factory and then becomes a perfumery apprentice. His master was Baldino, but he soon outgrows him and perfumery becomes his obsession.

However, This obsession alienates him from humanity, and he develops a madness for preserving human scents. He begins to unscrupulously kill young women whose scents appeal to him. This is an interesting topic to address in films about psychoanalysis, since there is often discussion about what psychopathy is, or what motivates a crime.

4. window on the soul

This is a 2001 documentary directed by Walter Carvalho in which 19 people with different degrees of visual impairment talk about how they perceive the world. Their disabilities range from myopia to total blindness. Thus, they tell how they see themselves, how they see others, and how they perceive the world.

Writer and Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, musician Hermeto Paschoal, filmmaker Wim Wenders, blind Franco-Slovene photographer Evgen Bavcar, neurologist Oliver Sacks, actress Marieta Severo, blind councilman Arnaldo Godoy, among others, make personal and unexpected revelations about various aspects related to vision.

They discuss the physiological functioning of the eye, the use of glasses, and their implications on personality. They talk about the meaning of seeing or not seeing in a world saturated with images, and also the importance of emotions. These emotions are transforming elements of reality.

For the documentary, 50 interviews were conducted, but only 19 were used.

5. secrets of a Soul

This is a 1926 film and it is starred by Werner Krauss. He is a scientist tormented by an irrational fear of knives In addition, he has a compulsion to murder his wife. This film mixes expressionism and surrealism through fantastic nightmares. It is a film whose theme borders on madness.

6. an Andalusian Dog

This short film has its screenplay co-written by Salvador Dalí and directed by Luis Buñuel.

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It was launched in 1929 and explore the human unconscious in sequences of dreamlike scenes One of the most striking scenes is the one where a man cuts a woman's eye out with a razor, played by Luis Buñuel.

This is an interesting work since both Dalí and Buñuel have a lot of influence from psychoanalysis in their personal works, the film portrays this influence .

7. psychosis

This is one of Hitchcock's best films, released in 1960. The plot revolves around a secretary named Marion Crane. This secretary embezzles her boss and ends up in a decadent motel, which in turn is run by Norman Bates. Bates is a troubled 30-year-old man, and the story tells what happens after this encounter.

This film initially received mixed reviews, but had an excellent box office. In addition, it received 4 Oscar nominations including Best Supporting Actress for Leigh and Best Director for Hitchcock. It's interesting to see how far films about psychoanalysis have come in the history of cinema, isn't it?

8. when Nietzsche cried

This movie was released in 2007, and is based on the novel by Irvin Yalom. It tells the story of a fictitious meeting between German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and physician Josef Breuer, Sigmund Freud's teacher.

Although it is a fiction, most of its characters and some events are real. Take doctor Josef Breuer as an example: he really was Freud's teacher (Ziggy in the film), and the relationship with Bertha also happened.

Thus, it is from the experience depicted there that Breuer came to the conclusion that neurotic symptoms result from unconscious processes and disappear when conscious. Something he called "catharsis" .

Anyone who wants to know a little more about Freud and Breuer should see this film.

9. nise: the heart of madness

This 2015 film tells the story of psychiatrist Nise da Silveira.

This psychiatrist worked in a psychiatric hospital in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. However, she refuses to employ electroshock and lobotomy in the treatment of schizophrenics This causes her to be isolated by the other doctors, so she takes over the Occupational Therapy Sector.

There, she starts to develop a more humane psychiatric treatment with the patients. This therapy is mediated by art.

The film will portray the moment in the life of psychiatrist Nise da Silveira and seeks to illustrate the first steps of psychoanalysis in the country. Treatment that came as a counterpoint to an environment still marked by the frequent use of lobotomies and electroshock. Considering this, it is possible to highlight a line between Nise and a colleague during a discussion: "My instrument is the brush. Yours is the ice pick.

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This is an essential film for those who want to know more about psychoanalysis in Brazil.

10. the Brazilian holocaust

Finally, we want to indicate one more Brazilian film to compose our selection of films about psychoanalysis .

This film is an adaptation of the book of the same name written by Daniela Arbex, released in 2016. It is an in-depth and compelling portrait of the events that became known as the Brazilian Holocaust.

This event was a major genocide committed against the psychiatric patients in the Barbacena hospice in Minas Gerais. In this place, people were hospitalized even without deep diagnoses. In addition, they were tortured, humiliated and murdered.

Like the previous film, this is an important film to know how psychiatric history unfolded in our country.

Films about Psychoanalysis: final comments

Have you seen any of these films or documentaries? If so, tell us what you thought of them; however, if not, which one are you most interested in seeing?

We hope you enjoyed the article. And if you are interested in knowing more about psychoanalysis, our online Clinical Psychoanalysis course can help you. Check it out! In it, you will expand your knowledge about other films about psychoanalysis, which is very good culturally and educationally speaking.