For those who are interested in psychology, there are a lot of sources where you can learn and the list is not limited to books. If you are a kind of person who prefers to learn something from visuals, you may want to consider watching films about psychology at the cinema or on streaming platforms such as Netflix, HBO, Disney Plus, and so on. Check out the 10 most recommended psychology films below, recommended by Anisa Sawu Dwi Astuti from Kampus Psikologi.
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- Split (2016)
Split is one of the must-watched films about psychology. It is a masterpiece done by M. Night Shymalan. This one is about multiple personalities. It covers the story of Kevin Wendell Crumb who suffers from the mental disorder called Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID. Due to his illness, he lives with 23 other personalities in his body. All of his personalities live together and have different characters, names, ages, and even genders. Basically, one of his personalities could take over and has complete control over his body.
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- Identity (2003)
Just like the main character of Split, the main character of Identity also has multiple personalities who suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID. It is such an interesting film and makes it to the list of one of the best psychological thriller films. The story of the film begins with a mental hospital that is holding a special trial for a psycho killer who suffers from this disease named Malcolm Rivers. After that, the storyline changes into an imaginary one that the main character has in his mind. Basically, the setting switches to a motel in Las Vegas. In the film, the main character starts to kill one by one character in the film.
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- Kim Ji-Young: Born 1982 (2018)
For those who love Korean movies, you must be familiar or at least have heard of a film called Kim Ji-Young: Born 1982. This one was surrounded by controversies, so it was all over the news. The film starring Gong Yoo and Jung Yumi provides extraordinary insight for the audience. It is about Kim Ji-Young, a woman who was born in 1982. The character feels the thick patriarchal culture in South Korea.
Due to the pressures in her life, Kim Ji-Young was diagnosed with postpartum depression or depression experienced by women after giving birth. It is such a good movie that shows how mental health issues occur in a woman and her efforts to restore her mental health.
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- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
If you are into romance, you may want to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This one tells the story of an introverted young man named Joel Barish and an introverted girl named Clementine Krucyznski. At first, everything seemed fine. However, there is a time when the girl thinks the boy makes her a different person. The girl then goes to a company that can erase memories.
The movie explains how two people who have erased each other’s memories of each other can end up on a new acquaintance and fall in love again. Besides explaining about memory, this movie also describes how a human’s institution and subconscious work.
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- Still Alice (2014)
Still Alice tells a story of a linguistics professor named Alice Howland. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer at the age of 50. This disease makes her experience symptoms such as losing memory of important things in her life, including as a professor and as a linguist.
In addition to uncovering information about Alzheimer, the story of the movie also describes self-actualization and positive self-concept through the decisions made by her.
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- Matchstick Men (2003)
Matchstick Men follows a story of two con men: Roy and Frank. The main character of the movie, Roy, suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD. The disease makes him pay too much attention to cleanliness and tidiness.
Due to his disorder, Roy always repeats the same thoughts and the same things over and over again, such as closing the door many times, turning off the faucet, and so on. He feels depressed due to the present of the other people in his house.
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- Inside Out (2015)
Inside Out has a good message for recognizing emotions in humans. It is such a good movie for not only children but also adults. It follows a story of a girl named Riley. Actually, the story is not only centered on her, but on the contents of her head that are turned into characters in the form of emotions. There are five characters based on five emotions, including Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear. The movie will teach you about the way emotions work can affect your daily behavior.
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- A Beautiful Mind (2001)
A Beautiful Mind is a movie that is based on a true story. The story of the movie is about a mathematician named John Forbes Nash, Jr. The man suffers from schizophrenia. Due to his illness, he has to face a number of challenges. Aside from learning about this disease, you can also learn how to live a life from the character.
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- Three Identical Strangers (2018)
Three Identical Strangers is the name of a movie about three twins who are separated from each other and live in different environments. This movie is based on an experiment done by Peter Neubauer. By watching the movie, you can learn about developmental psychology regarding twins and the code of ethics in psychological research that you have to adhere to when conducting experiments.
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- Good Will Hunting (1997)
For anyone who is interested in psychotherapy, you must watch Good Will Hunting. It follows the story of a young genius named Will Hunting who works as a janitor at MIT. His genius was discovered by one of the Professors there. However, due to his negative behavior, his development was stuck. When finding out about it, the Professor asks Will to do therapy with a psychologist. Go watch the movie to find out the whole story.
These are the most recommended psychology films that you should watch if you want to learn about psychology. Which one have you watched and which one do you think is the most fun to watch?
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
