A fascinating historical conflict is conjured in this powerful documentary short by Emmy-nominated producer-writer-director Kate Novack (Page One: Inside the New York Times). In 1900, Sigmund Freud briefly treated a young woman beset by self-destructive feelings following incidents of sexual abuse and unwanted sexual attention from a once-avuncular man, a family friend. Freud later wrote about her, renaming her “Dora” in his only case study about a female patient. While he believed her accounts of abuse, he concluded that Dora was suffering from hysteria brought on by a repressed sexual desire for her accoster.
Novack casts actress Tommy Vines as a modern-day Dora, who pushes back against quotes from Freud’s written account of her treatment. Given a contemporary voice in a powerful performance by Vines, this Dora makes quite plain the circumstances of her trials, how she was just a kid whose adolescent issues and openness to her abuser’s initial kindness was exploited. Making matters worse was that no one considered her credible until Freud, who then blamed her for her reaction. Between Vines’ outstanding work and Novack’s robust context-building for the long and still ubiquitous history of ignoring, shaming, and dismissing women who report sexual abuse and assaults, Hysterical Girl is something to behold.
Drawing on seconds-long snippets of archival footage, including the ordeals of Anita Hill and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford in their appearances before Senate committees (regarding their accusations against Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh, respectively), is a muscular argument that over centuries, women have not only been shunned on this issue but often perceived as mentally ill. At times, Novack’s near-subliminal, rat-a-tat visual approach proves overwhelming, but that’s part of her point. This is an uncomfortable subject for anyone, she’s saying, so imagine what it’s like for victims left alone with their own pain and stories no one wants to hear? Strongly recommended. Four stars. Aud: I, J, H, C, P.