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.
Donn Karen
A licensed psychotherapist in practice, the first Black female professor of psychology at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and the creator of the…
Frank Farrelly
An extremely interesting approach to working with clients, especially considering that everything is truly built around recreating self-esteem or rest…
Woody Allen
Plot The protagonist Mort Rifkin’s first dream in Woody Allen’s film Rifkin’s Festival begins with the words: “When I fell asleep that night, I had a…
David Fincher
David Fincher's psychological thriller "Gone Girl" is a film about a young married couple experiencing a crisis in their marital life, accompanied by…
John Grisham
Detectives come in all forms. If it's a detective novel by John Grisham, it will focus more on psychological exploration than on police investigation.…
Hans-Martin Lohmann
One of my first reactions while reading the biography of Sigmund Freud (author H.-M. Lohmann) was the desire to change the photo on the cover. After a…
Jim Kemp
It was worth getting used to the idea that the "win-win" strategy is the most optimal, and dismissing the feeling of "something’s not right," especial…
Nate Silver
At the beginning of reading the book, one of my predictions turned out to be wrong. Namely — that reading would be difficult because I am not a specia…
Peter Segal
Anger is one of the basic emotions. Yet expressing anger is often forbidden or taboo. In such cases, the emphasis is placed on resilience, composure,…
Marc Randolph
Companies that have reached a certain level and have a history also have a beautiful story about their founding. The author of the book about the hist…
Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
I watched it in three sittings. Each time for several minutes, taking breaks in between. During the breaks, I boiled my thoughts. I pondered deeply.Th…
V. Alennikov
What is victim psychology?What is tolerance for violence?Can you love someone who torments you?Want to understand?Watch V. Alenikov’s film Stranniki T…
Atul Gawande
Technological progress and humanity’s perception of the world and itself often do not align. This phenomenon has been confirmed by modern researchers…
Stephen King
At the start of autumn, after a day-long rain, a sunny morning can follow. Just like Outsider, after King’s horrors, it ends—it’s awkward to say—with…
Caroline Eliacheff, Natalie Heinich
Modern French psychoanalysts examine what seems to be the most "obvious" aspect of family relationships to "all normal people": the bond between mothe…
Berku Oya
The Turkish series «The Difference». Of all the Turkish series I’ve seen, this one impressed me the most. First, it features excelle…
Henry Bean
"I love and I hate. Why do I do this, perhaps you ask? I don’t know, but I feel it happening and I am tormented." Gaius Valerius Catullus (87–54 BCE)…
Elizabeth Gilbert
God never slams a door in your face without opening a box of chocolates... The book Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert, a well-known writer, is going…
Mark Bombeck
The film, initially advertised as a criminal drama, transforms during viewing into a detective story and later into a family drama. There are numerous…
Lisa Cholodenko (screenplay by Elizabeth Strout)
This mini-drama can perhaps be summed up by this quote: "A person is not an answer. A person is a question." The series is a montage of different peri…
Lars von Trier
At the beginning—slow motion—we are presented with individual images of nature,the cosmos, and people. They are so unusual, intriguing, and interestin…
Andrey Zvyagintsev
"Petty Love" is an excellent psychological thriller in which the tension escalates with every frame. This film is a laureate of the Cannes Film Festiv…
Sam Mendes
The film is set in the 1950s. The Wheelers appear to be the perfect couple in the eyes of their neighbors, acquaintances, and colleagues. She is a mod…
Wojciech Smoczyński
Someone left a short comment on one of the websites that could easily qualify as an absolutely concise yet completely accurate review: "The best film…
John Lee Hancock
0% water! If you have a dream but lack confidence—you need to read this! “The Founder” is a biographical film directed by John Lee Hancock about the l…
Călin Peter Netzer
Out of the film’s two-hour runtime, moments of carefree happiness in Ana and Toma’s relationship last less than 10 minutes. The rest of the story is a…
Bradley Cooper
It’s impossible to make an honest film about addiction if you haven’t experienced it yourself. In my opinion, this is one of the best movies on the su…
Fannie Flagg
Fannie Flagg’s book "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" leaves no one indifferent. It is very kind, imbued with a touch of gentle sadness.…
Andrey Malyukov
«We Are from the Future» or the Heirs of Courageous Defenders A group of four «black archaeologists» are excavating near St. Petersburg, where fierce…
Adrià García, Víctor Maldonado
A brief review of an animated film for children that any adult would benefit from seeing. What happens after sunset has long sparked countless superst…
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.
