Altered Minds (2013)

A family reunion goes awry when the oldest son makes the accusation that his dying father, a famed psychiatrist who also did work for the CIA, adopted his children for the purposes of psychological experimentation.

Director:

Michael Z. Wechsler

Writer:

Michael Z. Wechsler

Stars:

Judd Hirsch, Ryan O'Nan, C.S. Lee

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Judd Hirsch	...	Dr. Nathaniel Shellner
Ryan O'Nan	...	Tommy Shellner
C.S. Lee	...	Harry
Jaime Ray Newman	...	Julie
Caroline Lagerfelt	...	Lillian
Joseph Lyle Taylor	...	Leonard Shellner
Jake Miller	...	Sasha
Lily Pilblad	...	Sylvia
Dennis Flanagan	...	Sergeant Joseph Robbins
Hayden Signoretti	...	Young Tommy
Isaac Jin Solstein	...	Young Harry Shellner
Marilyn Chris	...	Elizabeth Robbins
Dana Konner	...	Young Julie Shellner
John Havel	...	Young Harry
Ish Singh	...	Child #2 Playing

Storyline

A tense psychological thriller exploring the troubled past, conflict-filled present, and uncertain future of the Shellners. 75 year-old Dr. Nathaniel Shellner's led an extraordinary life as a psychiatrist, earning himself a Nobel Prize. After having one child with his wife, Lillian, they decide to adopt from the camps where Dr. Shellner worked. Ultimately the Shellners have 5 children; Tommy, Julie, and Harry. As Dr. Shellner lies on his death bed, the family gathers for a final farewell. Untill Tommy arrives and accuses his father of adopting his children not out of love, but to use them for psychological experiments.

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Plot Keywords:

psychiatrist | cia | reunion | family reunion | bird in title | 

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Taglines:

Thriller/family drama

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

20 November 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Red Robin

Filming Locations:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rowish Entertainment,Rowish Productions,mKarma Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Dr. Nathaniel Shellner: A monster who loves his children more than life itself... is still a monster.

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Soundtracks

Happy
Written by Erin Sax and Patrick Kelly
Performed by Erin Sax

User Reviews

A mystery that would make Hitchcock proud

I am a sucker when it comes to psychological thrillers. I'm also the world's harshest critic when it comes to stories about characters having mental breakdowns so I went into this expecting to see the typical "insanity" clichés. Fortunately, this had none of them. The best thing to say about this film is it's always a few steps ahead of you. Even when you think you have a handle on what's happening, you don't. It straddled the family drama and psychological thriller genre very well, blending elements of both without letting down in either category. In some ways, the mood and tone resembled The Shining and The Sixth Sense....films rich in atmosphere and dread.

This is also the kind of film that bears repeat viewings to see how all the clues layered throughout pay off in the climax.