Psychologists explain stories
Expert psychological analysis of films, books, series, characters and the emotional conflicts behind memorable stories.
These are not simple recommendations. Psychologists look at trauma, attachment, family dynamics, motivation, manipulation, grief, identity and other psychological themes reflected in art. Spoilers are possible.
Isabel Coixet (director)
The film «The Secret Life of Words» (dir. Isabel Coixet) is not just a chamber-style drama but a careful exploration of how a person with psychologica…
Adrian Lyne
Melinda is a striking beauty with hot Spanish blood running through her veins. She is an addict with a drinking problem, drowning her sorrows in alcoh…
Brené Brown
A book that touched my soul. A book that summed up everything I couldn’t quite grasp on my own—the foundation of the life I want to live. When my mot…
Susanna Bier
To live with a person for a lifetime and not truly know them. That’s how you could describe the story of the series Rewind. Psychotherapist Grace, a…
Adrian Lyne
«CAN THIS REALLY BE TRUE LOVE?» Elizabeth ponders over her relationship with John (emotionally dependent relationships through the lens of…
Vladimir Mirzoyev (director), Dmitry Glukhovsky (screenplay)
A true visual guide to an otherworldly life. The seven episodes of Bogland in the first season are so gripping you won’t be able to look away. In adva…
Chico Xavier, Wagner de Assis
I watched the film based on Shiku Shavier’s book Our Home. Well, what can I say—if this is what the “better world” awaiting us after death looks like,…
Meik Wiking
Hygge – coziness, atmosphere, comfort, peace, harmony, and all the other words that come to mind when you think of it. Today, I’d like to introduce yo…
Brannon Braga
Three short stories that later intertwine into one. Each of the main characters has both a "dark" background and an unexpected resolution to the moral…
Uberto Pasolini
The film explores what death can be. It doesn’t just frighten, disgust, alienate, or fade into oblivion. Death can create meaning where none existed b…
Emma Cooper
Not long ago, the whole world was watching the high-profile case of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. Nothing new here—an old story of an ex-wife claiming…
David Chase
The TV show "The Sopranos" is an epic drama that tells the complex story of its main character, Tony Soprano, a powerful mob boss. However, behind his…
Sophie Hyde
«Life is an opportunity, use it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is bliss, taste it…» Nancy is a history of religion teacher; her life was planned, du…
Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann
«Одни из нас» (English: The Last of Us; more accurate translation — «Последние из нас») from the perspective of gestalt therap…
Otto Bathurst, Tom Harper, and others
Review from the perspective of Gestalt therapy The film Peaky Blinders is a remarkable example of how the Gestalt therapy paradigm can be used to anal…
Hayao Miyazaki
"In old age, it's good that there's less to lose" — Sophie Howl’s Moving Castle is a magical story of personal growth for two people, a fairy tale…
Charlie Brooker
"Black Mirror" is a science fiction anthology series that explores the dark side of modern technology and its impact on human behavior. Each episode f…
Melissa Cobb
Many people have watched this animated film, but what are we missing out on? You can analyze each character's life separately, but my choice fell on t…
Benoît Jacquot
«— Princess, what does a woman want? Even after years of research, I can’t answer that question… Perhaps the two of us can find the answer?» — Sigmund…
Peter Weir
One day, my daughter needed to write an essay, and as usual, students had very little time. So she asked her psychoanalyst mom for help. The task was…
Cho Yoon-young / Kim Kyu-tae
Dramatic series or a user manual? Recently, I was in the mood to "cry," girls will understand (and not just girls)—it's just one way to vent my stress…
Florian Zeller
The Father. For this film, one of my favorite actors, Anthony Hopkins, won an Oscar for Best Actor. The movie tells the story of Anthony, an elderly m…
Zoe Sugg
The book "Girl Online" was written by English fashion blogger Zoe Sugg. It tells the story of Penny, a 16-year-old teenage girl. Penny suffers from pa…
Mitch Albom
The book "Tuesdays with Morrie" gave me the chance to revisit my life, to notice the details that get forgotten in the rush of daily living. And the f…
Francis Fukuyama
In Francis Fukuyama’s work, you won’t find straightforward, oversimplified conclusions or a dry list of important dates and names. Fukuyama offers not…
Takeshi Kitano
A girl betrayed by her lover does not die after a suicide attempt. Instead, she loses her mind, becoming a helpless autistic child. Realizing the cons…
Doris Brett
If you're caring parents of a wonderful little one, then this book is for you! Doris Brett’s Once Upon a Girl Who Looked Just Like You is an exquisite…
Chang Jin-sung
North Korea. For most of us, these words are associated with totalitarianism, absolute disregard for the individual, and the cult of the leader. It do…
Zbigniew Lew-Starowicz
The book by Polish sexologist and psychotherapist Zbigniew Lew-Starowicz, She and He About Sex, introduces the reader to the practical work of a speci…
Claudia Llosa
Psychoanalytic analysis of the film La teta asustada (The Milk of Sorrow). This film, directed by Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa, tells the c…
Discussion
This section presents a list of psychological films, offering everyone who loves cinema and is interested in psychology the opportunity to join discussions about them in the comments. Unlike the reviews available on movie portals—which aim to provide a brief, spoiler-free description and pique interest in watching—the purpose of our overviews is different.
We recommend reading them after watching the films to help you understand the characters’ behavioral motives more deeply. This way, you might discover new facets of the work that are noticeable to professional psychologists.
