Self and Others

This chapter examines documentary films concerning the radical therapies and persona of R.D. Laing—one of the most well-known and controversial figures of post-war psychiatry, and someone who has remained present in the popular imagination. Laing’s celebrity status and the range of his writings and frequent media appearances, as well as his association with “anti-psychiatry” and the counter-culture, made him an attractive subject for documentary filmmakers, and the chapter critically evaluates the documentaries made by Canadian filmmaker, Peter Robinson, in the early 1970s, as well as other films that attempted to capture the essence of the Laingian experience, before concluding with a discussion of Luke Fowler’s work, including All Divided Selves.