Mad to Be Normal Page #2

Synopsis: During the 1960s, a renegade Scottish psychiatrist courts controversy within his profession for his approach to the field, and for the unique community he creates for his patients to inhabit.
Director(s): Robert Mullan
Production: Samuel Goldwyn Films
  3 wins.
 
IMDB:
6.3
Rotten Tomatoes:
59%
Year:
2017
106 min
Website
125 Views


And the children?

Do you, do you not love

or even like them anymore?

I love my children.

If you loved them you'd stay.

What the f*** do you know?

I've read about the effects

of divorce on children.

Well then you'll

know that growing up

in a so-called f***ing happy

family can destroy some people.

I've seen what families

do to each other

and I'm not puttin' my

children through that.

A coward walks away.

No, a brave man walks away.

I'm sorry.

[moving to soft guitar

and drums music]

No!

Mrs. Holding, I, I

know it looks dreadful,

but let me assure you.

You can't even

tell me how it works.

No.

No, you're right, I can't.

That's because we don't

know exactly why it works.

But believe me, it does work.

And it will work for John,

if he's allowed to stay.

Well, think of it a little

like mending a broken

radio by giving it

a firm slap on the hand.

But Johns not a radio.

He's my son.

It hurts him, and

he isn't better.

What are you thinking?

A visit to

a mental institution,

book signing, you

know, that kinda thing.

What a week, two weeks, what?

Yeah

something like that.

Is that okay?

- Yeah.

You know, radio, TV.

I'm going to have to call

you back about all this.

- Oh, okay.

- Yeah.

Yeah, if you could

call me back, that'd be great.

Yeah, we'll speak

soon, we'll speak soon.

Okay, cool.

Okay, bye.

- Bye bye.

So I was thinking I could

maybe make this place

more kinda homey.

You still here?

What did you have in mind?

Well, would you like

it to be more homey?

I have to forgive you first.

That's true.

Oh, I see.

I don't want you

moving anything.

Don't f***ing move anything.

I won't touch a thing.

Everything is in a

very particular place.

Is it?

You'll note my

filing system here.

It's very...

It's very unique.

Worked out to a micron.

Raymond.

Raymond, Raymond.

Follow your breathing,

follow your breath, yeah?

That's it.

That's it.

Mr. And Mrs. Holding.

John?

Do you want to come through?

Hello, Raymond.

This way.

John.

Mr. and Mrs. Holding.

I'm Dr. Laing.

I believe you've

already met Dr. Zemmell.

He hears voices.

Or at least we think he does.

I think Dr. Meredith

means well but I--

So why are we here?

I'll be honest.

I have great concerns

about leaving John here.

We saw somebody eating

what looked like cat food.

Some people say

you are experimenting

on your patients.

But I want John to be safe,

not in a mental hospital.

I know I can't help him at home.

According to Dr. Meredith,

you're a

catatonic schizophrenic.

John, could you at least

tell me what you want?

I want my own room.

And what will you do in there?

John, we will be able

to give you a room,

although here we

call them cells.

Erm, from the Latin cellar,

sort of a small room where a,

like where a nun

or a monk sleeps.

We'll take it from there,

does that sound okay?

Yeah.

So how will you treat him?

We'll give him what he

wants, we'll give him a cell.

And if he wants to

talk, we'll listen.

And that's it?

Yeah.

Come on.

Mama was struggling.

She held onto him, kept

saying please don't,

please don't please,

please don't.

I was just a little

boy of seven.

I saw it all.

I,

I can't get rid

of the smell of...

Sydney, I'll try and

help you let go of this.

I can't promise it will be easy.

Thank you.

You remember Jim?

Jim, of course,

good to see you again.

Something I said?

Jim's a wee bit down,

so he's gonna come back and

spend some time with us again.

And Aristotle, you know,

for whom I have great time

by the way, he

maintains that the brain

is mostly composed of water,

and if the moon can

affect the tides,

what, what can it do

to the human brain?

Won't be long now.

Won't be long for what?

The moon.

The moon.

The moon, stupid b*tch.

Hey, didn't your mother

teach you any manners?

Don't you talk about my mum.

There's a sculpture in

Ireland that's 5,000 years old

that's a depiction of the moon.

Yeah, me mother was Irish.

A lot of people say

there are more suicides,

murders, and admissions

to mental hospitals

during a full moon.

Hey, hey!

Get out! Get out!

I'll f***ing kill you.

That's enough, let's go home.

It's alright, it's all good.

John?

John, it's Paul.

I'm extremely concerned.

As are we.

Then use chlorpromazine,

or a feeding tube.

Give him ECT.

At Kingsley Hall we

take the Hippocratic Oath

very seriously, and the

promise not to do harm.

If I was to tie John down

and administer

electricity to his brain

or fill him so full of

drugs he couldn't speak,

would I be doing him good or

would I be doing him harm?

John?

John?

What do you suggest

I tell his parents?

They're not my concern.

John?

So hard to get away

from the noise, Frank.

You'd imagine at this time

of day they'd be quiet.

That's all you want really,

is a bit of peace and quiet.

Hey?

How have you been today, Frank?

A little bit down are you?

Yeah.

Do you know what I think, Frank?

Will we have a,

will we have a

little bedtime poem?

Yeah, why don't we do that.

Let's take up from where

we left last night.

Ah yeah.

But if my heart must

break for your sake

it will break in music I know.

Poets' hearts break so,

but strange I was not told

that the brain could hold

in a tiny ivory cell,

God's heaven and hell.

So true that, isn't it, Frank?

You're so soft.

Oh, that makes me calm.

John?

John, I think it's time you

and I had a little chat.

What the f*** is all this about?

John?

You know you can talk to us.

John, when you're ready,

just come and find us.

- Raymond!

- You must see Maria.

You must see Maria.

- Sh*t!

- You must, you must!

Raymond this had better

be f***ing important.

I'll be waiting.

Alright, alright, give

me that, give me that.

Take that. Alright, here.

Would you like me to get in

touch with Isaac's father?

No. He didn't want Isaac.

He was only interested

when I started going mad.

Then he took him away.

But he was right, I

can't look after a child.

None of this is your fault.

I can't.

Some tribes believe

that there is a,

a spirit in the placenta,

the amniotic fluid,

and that if that

spirit gets unhappy

for whatever reason,

then that causes the mother

to experience frequent crying,

and loss of appetite,

difficulty sleepin',

and that is exactly

what we would call

postnatal depression.

How did they cure her?

Well they would

summon a Shaman

to perform a seance to

make the spirit leave.

Do it.

Do it. Do it, please, do it.

Do it.

- Do it.

- No, I'm not, I'm not,

I'm not a shaman, Maria.

- Yes, yes you are.

Do it, do it please, do it.

Please do it.

We must hold hands.

You do it, you do it.

Yes, yes.

Please, please, please!

Can I say something, Angie?

Uh huh.

If you, please

don't be offended.

I really like you.

Yeah, you've got a

beautiful quality about you.

Oh wow.

And you're very,

very compassionate.

Lovely compassionate

quality, like Ronnie has.

He has that same quality.

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Robert Mullan

Robert Mullan (also Bob Mullan) is a British film director, writer and producer. He is also an author. He wrote and directed Letters to Sofija, Gitel and We Will Sing. He has produced over 40 documentaries, for the BBC, Granada, Anglia Television, Channel4 and for broadcasters outside the UK.His latest film is Mad to Be Normal, a biography of R. D. Laing with David Tennant in the lead role. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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