Dialogues with Madwomen
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| Dialogues with Madwomen | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Allie Light |
| Produced by | Irving Saraf |
| Cinematography | Irving Saraf |
| Edited by | Irving Saraf |
| Distributed by | Women Make Movies |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Dialogues with Madwomen is a 1993 documentary by Allie Light focusing on mental illness in women.[1] It was later aired on television on the PBS series POV.
Synopsis
[edit]In Dialogues with Madwomen, filmmakers Allie Light and Irving Saraf have seven "madwomen" — including Light herself — into telling their stories. Using a mixture of home movies, archival footage of psychiatric wards, re-enactments, and interviews with their subjects, Light and Saraf have created a complex, moving portrait of women in whom depression, schizophrenia, and multiple personalities coexist with powerful, sometimes inspired levels of creativity.[2][3] Several of the women talk about traumatic experiences like childhood abuse, rape, homelessness and racism. In their stories of therapy, they mention therapist approaches like “One weekend he told me I could go home if I promised to bake a turkey. The next weekend I could go home if I promised to mop all the floors.” [4] Throughout their stories, the participants find different ways to return to everyday life. The movie ends with the information that participant Karen Wong was murdered shortly after the interviews were finished.[5]
The film does not openly criticise circumstances that led to mental health issues, or the ways the women were treated. Their statements stand alone, for the viewer to form their own impression and opinion. No shocking videos or photos are used, the intensity of the stories remains in the words of the participants.
See also
[edit]- Atypical antipsychotics, which came onto the market after this film was made
Karen Wong
[edit]In December 2013, a man whose DNA linked him to Karen Wong, one of the seven women in the film, was found guilty and convicted for her murder.[6][7] His conviction was later overturned.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Dialogues with Madwomen". Women Make Movies. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ "Dialogues With Madwomen Dialogues With Madwomen". PBS. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
- ^ "Dialogues with Madwomen". Variety. 28 November 1993. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
- ^ Bright Lights Film. "Interview with Allie Light". Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ ABC7. "DNA links burglar to cold case murder of San Francisco activist | ABC7 San Francisco | abc7news.com". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Man convicted in 1991 rape, murder of Richmond district woman". The San Francisco Examiner. 24 December 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ "DNA links burglar to cold case murder". ABC 7 News. 12 December 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
- ^ "S.F. murder conviction overturned - judge tossed holdout juror". SFGATE. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
External links
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- 1993 films
- Sundance Film Festival award-winning films
- Documentary films about mental health
- American documentary films
- Documentary films about women
- 1993 documentary films
- 1990s English-language films
- 1990s American films
- English-language documentary films
- Biographical documentary film stubs
- Abnormal psychology stubs