Modern Psychiatric Case History -- Taking Films as an Example

Author: Zi Yu, edited by 24GE
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: The format of this book clearly shows the designer's care. The "Symptoms" section is a retelling of the film's content, while the "Diagnosis" section is essentially a film critique from a psychoanalytic perspective. Continuous images directly affect the senses, whereas reading text allows for pauses and reflective rumination. If you've watched Kieslowski's film The Decalogue, consider reading the film novel and also E Xiao Feng's The Heavy Body. However, if the order is reversed, preconceived rationality might constrain sensibility—therefore, from the perspective of appreciating film, I never advocate reading reviews before watching the movie. Instead, go to the DVD market first, then read this book, seeking resonance in feelings and inspiration in thought. But if you're not a film enthusiast but merely a young person with occasional fits of pique against life, this book can also serve as a "letterbox" for resolving doubts: the former is narrative, the latter is analysis. Of course, it's far more sophisticated than a typical "big sister advice column." Masters like Bergman always remain enigmatic to ordinary people. Themes like loss, loneliness, fear, voyeurism, and suicide—expressed by a literary newcomer—differ significantly from those of a master. Films like Citizen Kane, Wild Strawberries, Vertigo, A Short Film About Love, and The Taste of Cherry are classics worth reading and reflecting upon. Watching such films or reading such books may not cure "psychosis," but they can guide us to shed superficial bubbles and approach a deeper inner self. Such a "medical record" is not "comfort food" and cannot offer a sweet promise—it can even make things more despairing. However, reading a dark book that diagnoses without prescribing has its own advantages: a person in pain, upon seeing an accurate description of their pain, may not find relief, but at least gain a sense of understanding and comfort. Ultimate suffering is unsolvable, and when it reaches a profound depth, it might even produce some form of gratification internally, based on an innate vanity? Ranked as the "Seventh Art," cinema has only existed for over a hundred years. If it's true that "since then, modern man has gained a mirror to observe his body and mind," then this mirror reflects humanity's century-long malaise over the past century.