4 movies about family to heal wounds

Cinema can inspire us to the point of moving us and reflecting on our values, thoughts and opinions about any topic in life. Have we not cried your eyes out over the stories of many characters that appear in the movies? At some point, we have not only shed tears, but we have even sobbed, and we have even reconsidered certain ethical and moral values ​​in the family environment.

And the thing is, cinema shows us all this in the form of stories that, real or not, often reach us to the depths of our hearts. Each film sends us its own message, and perhaps, when it comes to family problems, we can feel, if possible, even more identified with the plots; and this is because we all come from a family.

In some way or another, everyone, or Almost all of us have grown up in a family unit.whether it is an extended family, single parent, adoptive, without children, etc., the truth is that watching movies whose plot focuses on these themes can move us to the point of being a good substitute for a session with a therapist, especially when the characters show some type of psychological problem.

Cinematherapy to release emotions

There are many documented benefits that our cinematographic tastes can bring us, in this case. And, in fact, we can encompass them in one name: cinematherapy. The American psychotherapist Birgit Wolz, who dedicates much of her work to therapy groups through film, says:

While film therapy is prescribed by therapists, it is often self-administered. Be aware that movies can change the way we think, feel and, ultimately, deal with life challenges can make viewing them an invaluable and wonderful option.

For his part, psychologist Gary Solomon, author of two books on film therapy, says that the idea is choose films with themes that reflect the problems of your current situation, For example, when treating addictions, the expert recommends Trainspoiting or Living Las Vegas, for the couple problemsPretty Woman or When Harry Met Sallyor for homophobia problems American Beauty.

Family problems movies to ease the pain

According to what is also called film therapy, and as demonstrated by a study carried out by the Florida University of Technology, we analyze 4 recommended movies that deal with family problems from a healing perspective. 4 films that only aim to be a reflection of one’s own life, of particular circumstances that are often repeated.

Crimes of the Heart (1986) and Sweet Home…sometimes!

Crimes of the heart focuses on Three sisters They decide to get together in the house of the oldest of them all, Lenny, who lives with her grandfather, who is responsible for the guardianship of the three after her mother’s suicide. Each one carries a different story in their lives and the clash between them does not take long to appear.

For her part, Lenny, the eldest, is sterile, Meg, a frustrated singer following a nervous breakdown, and Babe, the youngest, is on provisional release after having shot her husband. All of them have struggled and have felt very alone, without the “apparent” support of any of their other sisters, given their “differences” in personality or points of view.

However, in the final scene, the three of them surround a huge birthday cake; a very beautiful and nostalgic moment that reflects the need to know that, despite everything, they will always be sisters.

Sweet home…sometimes! is a film that deals with the difficult relationship between brothers of a family. One of the sisters, divorced, with children and without the father wanting to know anything about them; the other sister, cultured and vegetarian; Meanwhile, the brother has problems gambling addiction.

The father of the three, after having lived without the love of his father, tries to unite them, sometimes succeeding, sometimes not. In this way, the film shows us the different disappointments and conflicts about love, doubts, worries, etc. that come with being a father from a comical and happy perspective.

Films about childhood trauma: Sybil (2007) and The Three Faces of Eve

Sybil Dorsett is a student who psychiatrist Dr. Atcheson diagnoses “female hysteria”a mental disorder for which she is sent to psychiatrist Cornelia Wilbur, who evaluates her until Sybil confesses that she has suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse from her mother.

Thus, as the therapy progresses and after several hypnosis sessions, Wilbur recognizes in the young woman even 16 different personalities of different ages and characteristics. For Sybil to heal, it is necessary for her to recognize all of her identities and to reunite with all of them.

The Three Faces of Eve It marked a before and after in the relationship between cinema and psychology. In it, the actress, Eva White, is a shy housewife who suffers from headaches, dizziness and periods of amnesia.

He begins treatment with a psychiatrist and, as the days go by, he develops a psychiatric split personality disorderor dissociative disorder (DPD), since it has developed up to three very different personalities.

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