Three Christs

I rated this so high because I work in mental health and it connects with me but to the everyday person I would say allow this film to unfold, it has very believable character performances which are easy to follow and as the film progresses you become attached to

This is an engrossing film with a very intriguing premise: if you treat 3 paranoid, schizophrenic patients each of whom thinks he is Jesus Christ isolating them from other mental patients in a state hospital, will one dominate the others or will they learn to bring joy, hope and companionship to their fellows? Dr. Alan Stone and his Psychology intern, thinks he can do the latter.

This story unfolds in the 60s when the accepted treatment for psychiatric patients is harsh and inhumane by today's standards. It consisted of either shock therapy, use of drugs or lobotomy. Dr. Stone would not have none of those because he believes these so-called clinical protocols simply "warehoused" the patients, not treated them. He believed rather in exploring their mind, understanding it by means of gentle interactions with the patients. The establishment thought this was crossing the boundary of "normal clinical protocols." But he asserts that without risks, there can be no breakthroughs.

Peter Dinklage stands out as patient Joseph Cassel. He inhabits the role and you deeply empathize with him and what happens to him. The same is true with Walton Goggins as Leon Gabor with all his pent-up libidinal urges and philosophical ruminations about identity. And we certainly relate with Richard Gere as Alan Stone whose persistence amidst resistance from his colleagues is commendable.

So, the question that the viewer asks is, did he succeed? There's only one way to find out.

Such talented actors, somewhat wasted in a meandering story overly loaded with clichés and melodrama. There's a compelling story somewhere underneath all the quirkiness and over-dramatic options, but it never fully surfaces. It feels too staged, even like a play, and I never fully believed that I was seeing real people other than such talented actors. The performance is still worth watching, especially that of the Three Christs, they are all brilliant in their uncharacteristic roles.

I started out watching this film with some skepticism as psychiatric patients are so often misrepresented. As someone who worked in a state psychiatric facility for a couple of decades, I'm quite familiar with paranoid schizophrenics, and I have to say they were aptly portrayed in Three Christs. I'm not familiar with the study on which it is based but it did influence a lot of what was to come in treatment for these kinds of patients. The message that came across is one that I incorporated into my practice: treating people with respect, dignity, warmth and caring does wonders. The delusions may not go away, but they recede into the background as the patients start to feel cared for and better about life in general. That "Dr. Stone/Stein" was a warm and caring doctor is unquestionable, at least according to the film, and that in itself is a great model for any psychiatric student to emulate.

Aside from that, the film, I believe, would have a limited audience as most people are not terribly interested in the subject. Even someone like me who is interested in the subject found the film boring in select passages. Overall, the actors did a good job with the material.

"Three Christs" was a last minute choice of mine at the TIFF. As a big Dinklage's fan, and considering that it was a world premiere, it was easy enough to go check it out. I'm glad I did. This movie is one about the brain and its struggles, but it does so with a big heart. It's funny and touching with a good balance, and the acting is top notch (I'm actually a bigger Dinklage's fan after the movie). The underlying themes about psychiatry as science and its potential negative effect on personality, the nature of identity, the complex interaction of desire and fear are inhabiting the film and are as relevant today as they were at the time. In summary, a great entertaining movie with a deeper layer... and a stellar Dinklage!