Call me Ronnie. I've been waiting a long time for this movie. As a fan of David Tennant, I watched the filming closely, learned about the real hero in the film, listened to numerous interviews and watched the trailer to the holes. I was delighted to hear that it will be shown at the British Film Festival. Only to find out later that on the day of the only premiere I have a working shift. I was very upset. So upset that I still couldn't bring myself to watch Mad to be normal. But the year is coming to an end, we need to fulfill what we promised at the beginning of the year. Here is my opinion on one of the most anticipated films of the year.
1960s. At a time when schizophrenia – a disease in itself unknown and incomprehensible – was treated with medications and electroshock, the effect of which could not be explained even by leading experts, Scottish psychiatrist Ronald David Laing decided on an unusual experiment: in London, in a place called Kingsley Hall, he arranges a kind of treatment center, where he lived with a couple of other doctors with patients, many of whom were seriously ill. And the treatment was unusual - patients did not receive medication, they were not locked in rooms, did not use electric shock. The patients were free to move around the building, to do whatever they wanted, and all Laing and the doctors did was listen to the patients. No one can predict how this experiment will end, not even Dr. Laing himself.
What makes biographies interesting is that we learn about the lives of extraordinary people who have somehow changed our world and how they have changed it. I had never heard of Dr. Laing, his fame in the '60s, and his unconventional treatments for mental illness. Therefore, the whole film of Robert Mullan tells about his unusual institution, you can clearly see the work of a psychiatrist with patients, as well as see his life. No one disputes that all these were very controversial and controversial methods of working with sick people who can be dangerous for others and for themselves. We are divided in opinion: it seems that we see that Laing’s methods help patients more than in ordinary mental hospitals, but also understand that this can not last long.
Despite the obvious upheaval in the field of psychiatry, the film focuses more on the main characters, making it a film not about achievements, but about people.
David Tennant, whom I consider one of the most outstanding actors of our time. I knew long ago that the role of R.D. “Ronnie” Laing would be unlike any of his other characters. Charismatic and charming, in bright colorful shirts and velvet jackets, caring and understanding, who always finds time for patients, no matter what he is busy (hint understood), but at the same time a very complex person who can not establish relations with his family and find enough time for his children, who listens to the problems of his patients, but does not intend to share with anyone his feelings, emotions and experiences, besides all else, suffering from chronic alcoholism. I still don't know how to treat him. Who is R. D. Laing, an innovator and pioneer in the treatment of mental illness, or a doctor who prescribes LSD patients with too high an opinion of himself, closed to those closest to him, but open to the world? David perfectly captured the dual nature of such a character, brilliantly presenting Laing on the big screen!
Despite the relatively small budget, the film managed to collect a beautiful cast of famous actors: Elizabeth Moss, who managed to prove herself in the series The Handmaid's Tale, plays Laing's girlfriend Angie Wood, who, having fallen under the charm of the doctor, decides to share her life with him, without imagining all the consequences; Gabriel Byrne, a long-time friend of Ronald Jim, who, although he looks like a nice and harmless old man, returns to King's King for good reason, even though Dr. Laneb, who does not yet completely refuses from his traditional methods, Dr.
"Mad to be normal" refers to the category of films that should not be perceived as an authentic representation of reality. This seems to have led to many negative reviews. Yes, the film is based on real people, but it does not chronicle the days gone by, but shows how things could have been. If you take the film as a work of art, you can quite enjoy it. So ...
Just relax. Free your head from unnecessary thoughts. Breathe in and come out slowly. Blink your eyes. Now focus on the screen. Ready? Get started. © DT Asylum
9 out of 10
Nice viewing!