Sometimes the
most difficult step in the therapeutic process is “breaking the ice” – finding
the inlet into the client’s primary psychological issues. In their book, Rent Two Films and Let’s Talk in the Morning,
Hesley and Hesley suggest that prescribing specific films in therapy could help
a reluctant or blocked client to open up. Therapy requires clients to discuss
their most personal feelings and experiences in an open and frank manner. This
is not an easy thing to do. But if a clever therapist can get clients to watch
films that deal with issues similar to what they are going through, then
impersonal discussions about the films can lead to deeply personal discussions
about the clients’ psyche. Like ink blots or free association, prescribed film
viewing can be an effective mechanism of engaging clients and gaining access to
their unconscious issues.

“VideoWork” – prescribing videos for therapeutic
discussion, traces it’s roots to “Bibliotherapy” – using literature in the
therapeutic process. Each technique
relies on the fact that it is often easier for clients to discuss a metaphor
that relates to their issues than the issues themselves. The danger, as the
authors thoroughly acknowledge, is that the clients may never bridge the gap
between exploring the objective metaphor and the subjective self. This is when
the skills and expertise of the therapist must come into play.

The authors believe that “VideoWork” can provide benefits
beyond the realm of therapy. Films can be inspirational, educational and
emotionally moving. They can provide encouragement, hope, positive role models
and a means of reframing one’s personal problems. The best stories and movies
are those in which the protagonist undergoes a change in character… an
“epiphany.” When clients practice “therapeutic viewing,” they pay close
attention to a movie character’s epiphany in order to relate the protagonist’s
change to a potential change in themselves.

The first part
of “Rent Two Films…” addresses the
process, benefits and possible pitfalls of therapeutic viewing. The second
part, which comprises most of the book, provides an “anthology” of therapeutic
films, divided into sections based on the films’ therapeutic value. For
example, there are sections for couples therapy, individual therapy,
psychopathology, etc. As such, the book serves mainly as a resource guide for
therapists who wish to use the therapeutic viewing technique. This seems quite
reasonable, as the technique is fairly straightforward, and in any case, must
be specifically tailored for each individual client. While the authors give
some interesting background and illustrations of their technique, most of the
exposition in the first part would appear to be somewhat obvious to any
intuitive and resourceful therapist. For instance, the authors advise therapists
to “pick films clients enjoy” and “match content to therapeutic issues.”

The second part of the book provides descriptions of over
200 films with recommendations for therapeutic usage. Some films are described
in depth, while others are cursorily described in three or four sentences. The
book would be much more useful as a resource guide if all of the films
were described in a uniform format, with helpful sections such as “Suggested
Viewers” and “Main Lessons” provided for every entry. Also, many of the
descriptive passages are unnecessarily long and superfluous.

Another
confusing aspect of the format is the arrangement of films into sections
according to the type of therapeutic setting. Issues such as depression and
divorce can be addressed in just about every type of therapeutic setting. Since
films are not made to address specific issues, psychologically relevant films
tend to touch upon many different issues at the same time. That’s why certain
films such as “The Accidental Tourist”
and “Terms of Endearment” are each
listed in five separate sections. The format would be much less confusing if
all of the films were simply listed alphabetically, with uniform subsections
and a cross-listed index based on subject and therapeutic issue.

Finally, the
major problem with the book is that the “anthology” provided is anything but
comprehensive or broad. Just about all of the films are American, mainstream
Hollywood movies made in the past 25 years. By limiting their research and
focus to recently made “popular movies,” the authors overlook a plethora of
lesser known, older, foreign and independently made films that usually do a
better job at telling personal stories that deal with life issues and
psychological distress.

In conclusion, “Rent
Two Films…” provides a much-needed introduction to a therapeutic technique
that could be incredibly helpful and beneficial to clients and therapists
alike. The authors, or their editor, seem to have realized that the technique
itself is so wonderfully simple and straightforward, that a book on the topic
would be most useful as a resource guide rather than as an instructive text.
This, however, is where the book falls a bit short. While the first part of the
book – a description and overview of the technique – could be summarized into a
short chapter or long introduction, the second part – an “anthology of
therapeutic films,” is not comprehensive and poorly organized. Though I would
tentatively recommend this book to therapists who were interested in
prescribing films for their clients and knew absolutely nothing about the
process, the recommendation would come with the caveat that the book’s
anthology would be less helpful than a well structured and comprehensive
explanatory film guide.

© 2002 William Indick

William Indick, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Dowling
College, NY.

Categories: Psychotherapy