Aesthetic Dimensions of Mental Illness (since 2015)

Tobias Dietrich, M.A.

Numerous films manage strikingly and significantly to shape the everyday image of Mental Illness, developing complex means of expression to depict Mental Illness which extend beyond valid scientific terms (such as ICD-10 or DSM). Simultaneously, they reflect on scientific imprints of Mental Illness and open up new findings for Public Health matters. However, cinema’s influence on the understanding and definition of Mental Illness has not yet been subject of film studies. Based on this research gap, the dissertation project will carve out films’ specific efforts to mediate Mental Illness critically, analyzing a selected corpus of contemporary auteur films trying to establish how knowledge about Mental Illness can be conveyed and dealt with.