Angst

A compassionate, non-voyeuristic, ultimately hopeful look inside the lives of several Amsterdam residents suffering from anxiety disorders and fear-related psychological compulsions, director Michiel van Erp's Angst takes a nonclinical approach to the subject, with treatments (such as cognitive therapy) mentioned in passing, but the primary focus remains on the patients as human beings. Dieuwke, a young woman tormented by feelings of “being dirty,” takes several inhumanly long showers each day, crippling her ability to live a normal life. Gerard and the disfigured Anna Louise—both victims of traumatic violence—experience panic attacks and are obsessed with street crime and terrorism (especially regarding Muslims). John's acrophobia started for no apparent reason on a Paris bus; now, the one-time pharmacy supervisor can barely leave his house or approach a window for fear of falling out. Some background elements (such as the assassination of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh) are Dutch-specific, but when one sufferer recovers both her mental balance and ability to form normal relationships, her radiant bliss speaks universally. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)