People in White

Instead of featuring psychiatrists talking about their patients, Dutch directors Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen's People in White alternates between scenes of patients re-enacting their conversations with therapists and sharing their experiences in a group context. Although six of the participants are patients, the other four are actors. Some say they prefer a casual relationship with their doctor, while others want to maintain a professional one. Margreet (Ellen van Rossum) initially thought her psychiatrist looked like “the crazy one,” but she continued to see him for the next 20 years. After undergoing electroshock therapy, Margreet's depression disappeared, along with a portion of her memory; now, the 54-year-old can't work, but she believes it was a necessary sacrifice. Fabio, a schizophrenic, also credits his doctor for bringing him back into the light, but others' recollections aren't so pleasant. Kees says he goes through a bar of soap daily due to obsessive-compulsive disorder, but his psychiatrist sees him more as a collection of symptoms than a human being. And when Mieke, who takes lithium for manic depression, complained about side effects, her therapist dismissed her concerns; her subsequent acting out earned her a stint in the isolation ward. Peter (Hugo Maerten), who suffers from bipolar disorder, has also had difficulty in getting his doctors to listen to him. In the most discomfiting segment here, a doctor acts inappropriately with Loes (Christine van Stralen), which only worsens her psychological state. While the mix of real patients and actors may be unusual, the directors do successfully raise valid questions about doctor-patient relationships. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)