Asylum

Synopsis

In 1971, a group of filmmakers was granted the opportunity to film for several weeks at a home for "mentally troubled" individuals in London, UK. The Archway Community was based in large part on the theories of the late radical psychiatrist R.D. Laing, including his belief that the hierarchical structure of the usual doctor-patient relationship could be broken down by communal living - an effort to break the cycle of people being fruitlessly shuttled between mental hospitals and their often dysfunctional homes. The film participates in this ethos, simply observing the housemates as they interact with each other, often in fascinating digressions that illustrate Laing’s thesis at the time that "madness", while painful, could sometimes have creative and socially positive outcomes. As Dr. Donald Moss of the NYU Psychoanalytic Institute states, "R.D. Laing disrupted the paradigm of analyst as subject and patient as object that had shaped clinical theory from Freud on. Laing insisted on a practice based on identification, not on objectification. The authority of one’s interpretation was to be grounded in either a momentary or prolonged participation in the other’s ‘condition’." Extras Include: Breathing & Running (16 min, 1971) Laing speaks in his home about his ideas. Psychiatry & Violence (24 min, 1971) - Laing speaks in his home about his ideas. R.D. Laing in the USA (23 min, 1972) Audio Commentary".

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2015

Year of production

1972

Subjects

Psychiatry; Mental Health and Counselling

Keywords

Laing, R D; psychiatric patients; psychiatry; schizophrenia

Credits

Director

Peter Robinson

Cinematographer

Richard W. Adams

Contributor

R D Laing

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£10.25

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

95 minutes

Year

2015

Production Company

Name

Peter Robinson Associates

Online Retailer

Name

amazon.co.uk

Web

http://www.amazon.co.uk External site opens in new window