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Crazy, Not Insane

  • 2020
  • TV-MA
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
Crazy, Not Insane (2020)
An examination of the research by forensic psychiatrist Dorothy Otnow Lewis who investigated the psychology of murderers.
Play trailer1:44
1 Video
3 Photos
DocumentaryBiographyCrime

An examination of the research by forensic psychiatrist Dorothy Otnow Lewis who investigated the psychology of murderers.An examination of the research by forensic psychiatrist Dorothy Otnow Lewis who investigated the psychology of murderers.An examination of the research by forensic psychiatrist Dorothy Otnow Lewis who investigated the psychology of murderers.

  • Director
    • Alex Gibney
  • Writer
    • Alex Gibney
  • Stars
    • Richard Burr
    • Laura Dern
    • Park Dietz
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    2.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Alex Gibney
    • Writer
      • Alex Gibney
    • Stars
      • Richard Burr
      • Laura Dern
      • Park Dietz
    • 30User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
    • 78Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:44
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    Crazy, Not Insane (2020)
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    Richard Burr
    • Self
    Laura Dern
    Laura Dern
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    Park Dietz
    Park Dietz
    • Self
    Alex Gibney
    Alex Gibney
    • Self - Interviewer
    • (voice)
    Dorothy Lewis
    Dorothy Lewis
    • Self
    Arthur Shawcross
    Arthur Shawcross
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Catherine Yeager
    • Self
    • Director
      • Alex Gibney
    • Writer
      • Alex Gibney
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, is a highly controversial diagnosis, with many arguments against it being anything more than an iatrogenic disorder -- in other words, caused by the therapy/therapist itself. Most notable amongst these arguments is that unlike other psychological disorders, DID is not observed outside of treatment with certain select clinicians, all of whom already believe in DID. What has been observed across all clinicians and researchers, however, are examples of confirmation bias, persuasive interview techniques, demand characteristics, and the oftentimes overwhelming urge to please demonstrated by patients in general. In addition, early North American works (DID is an overwhelmingly American disorder, yet another point of contention for the pro/anti-DID debate) which are seen as having started the DID diagnosis trend have been debunked in recent years as primarily fictitious stories, written to sell books. As controversial as the diagnosis of DID is, many feel that there may be some degree of negligence on the part of the producer(s), the director, and the film company as a whole for not employing a disclaimer as well as affording equal time to opposing expert viewpoints.
    • Connections
      References Cape Fear (1991)

    User reviews30

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Assessing the life and works of psychiatrist Dorothy Lewis
    "Crazy, Not Insane" (2020 release; 117 min.) is a documentary that takes a closer look at the life and works of noted psychiatrist Dorothy Lewis. As the film opens, she explains why she became interested in examining serial killers: "It's like a chance to interview Hitler". Later on she ponders: "Why don't I murder? why don't you murder?" We then go back in time, as Lewis, upon graduating from the Yale School of Medicine, by happenstance becomes involved with juvenile delinquents, and makes a startling discovery that shows a physical difference in the brains of homicidal vs. non-homicidal delinquents... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie.

    Couple of comments: this is the latest film from long-time documentarian Alex Gibney, who just recently released the excellent "Agents of Chaos", and whose prior work also includes 2013's "The Armstrong Lie" and 2015's "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief", among many others. Here he takes a closer look at the (for some: groundbreaking, for others: controversial) work by Dorothy Lewis in the filed of understanding what makes serial killers do what they do. The documentary takes a good half hour to really get going, but after that, we are knee-deep into the core issue: do you accept/believe in the concept of multiple personality disorder, also known as dissociative identity disorder, or not? There are plenty of video clips from Lewis' work in the late 80s-early 90s when Lewis came to the forefront of this issue. It makes for at times fascinating viewing, and while it is pretty clear where Gibney stands in all of this, he gives plenty of space to both sides of the argument. I must say that, given Gibney's considerable reputation as one of the premier documentarians of this generation, I had expected something more, and that this does not rank among his very best work. Not that I think that "Crazy, Not Insane" is "bad" or anything. It's just not a heavyweight like some of his best documentaries.

    "Crazy, Not Insane" was scheduled to premier at this year's SXSW festival in March. Then a little thing call COVID-19 changed the world as we know it (SXSW was canceled). The movie finally premiered at this year's Venice Film Festival in September, and started showing on HBO earlier this week. It is now available on HBO On Demand and other streaming services. If you are a fan of Alex Gibney's work or simply are interested in catching a true crime-reminding documentary, I'd readily suggest you check this out on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.
    helpful•15
    9
    • paul-allaer
    • Nov 19, 2020

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 18, 2020 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Безумен, но не болен
    • Production company
      • Jigsaw Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 59 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

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