Oh Netflix, what would we do without you and your magical entertainment superpowers. Netflix has a seemingly endless supply of movies, TV shows, documentaries about any subject matter you could possibly imagine, but it’s also precisely why we spend half of our time on Netflix trying to pick out something to watch. Today, were going to look at five Netflix movies about psychology and mental health that are currently available on Netflix streaming or DVD rental.
#5 Punch Drunk Love
One of Paul Thomas Anderson’s many masterpiece’s stars Adam Sandler as a psychologically troubled novelty supplier who is randomly nudged by life towards an English woman, all the while being extorted by a phone-sex line run by a crooked mattress salesman (R.I.P. Phillip Seymour Hoffman), and purchasing insane amounts of pudding. And as we all know, it’s impossible to have a bad time with insane amounts of pudding.
#4 Melancholia
Lars von Trier’s visually-stunning film starring Kirsten Dunst is an extraordinary narrative about two sisters who find their strained relationship challenged by a potentially apocalyptic event while dealing with the depths of depression. Melancholia was reportedly inspired by a depressive episode experienced by von Trier himself, making the depression depicted palpable.
#3 Rain Man
#2 To The Bone
To the Bone is a story about an anorexic girl who spent the better part of her teenage years being shepherded through various recovery programs, only to find herself a few pounds lighter every time. Determined to find a solution, her dysfunctional family agrees to send her to a group home for youths, which is led by a non-traditional doctor. Surprised by the unusual rules, Ellen must discover for herself how to confront her addiction and attempt self-acceptance. Peter Debruge from Variety describes To the Bone as “Not an easy sit, nor a terribly entertaining one, but in the hands of writer-director Marti Noxon, it delivers painful insights in a relatively fresh way.”
#1 The Babadook
While it may be a simple horror film at heart, The Babadook tackles a sobering look at depression and mental illness. The Babadook documents the life of a single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son’s fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her. The 2014 cult hit currently sports a whopping 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
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