Afflictions: Culture and Mental Illness in Indonesia is a six-part ethnographic documentary film series on the lives of the mentally ill living on the islands of Bali and Java in Indonesia. Each film documents the personal journey of a patient's diagnosis, care and treatment and the impact of culture, family, and community on the course of their illness. The films were directed and produced by ethnographic filmmaker and psychological anthropologist Robert Lemelson.
| Afflictions: Culture and Mental Illness in Indonesia | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robert Lemelson |
| Produced by | Robert Lemelson |
| Music by | Malcom Cross |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 185 minutes |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Language | English |
The films are based on Lemelson's ethnographic research from 1997 to 2010 on the relationship of psychiatric and neuropsychiatric disorders to culture. It is the first film series on mental illness in the developing world. Some emerging themes include: attitudes of family members, the power of culture in mental health outcomes, the merits of pharmaceutical treatment, and the importance of cultural context in understanding the experiences of the mentally ill.
Films
edit| Film | Release date | Directed by | Edited by | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume 1 - Psychotic Disorders | ||||
| Shadows and Illuminations | 2010 | Robert Lemelson | Wing Ko | 35 minutes |
| Memory of My Face | 2011 | Sandra Angeline and Chisako Yokoyama | 22 minutes | |
| Ritual Burdens | 2011 | Herbert Bennett and Mike Mallen | 25 minutes | |
| Volume 2 - Neuropsychiatric Disorders | ||||
| The Bird Dancer | 2010 | Robert Lemelson | Herbert Bennett | 40 minutes |
| Family Victim | 2010 | Sandra Angeline | 38 minutes | |
| Kites & Monsters | 2011 | Chisako Yokoyama | 22 minutes | |
Book
editAfflictions: Steps Toward a Visual Psychological Anthropology discusses and complements the work presented in Afflictions: Culture and Mental Illness in Indonesia in order to explore issues in the cross-cultural study of mental illness and advocate for the role film can play both in the discipline and in participants’ lives. It integrates psychological and medical anthropology with the methodologies of visual anthropology, specifically ethnographic film.[1]
See also
editReferences
editExternal links
edit- Afflictions: Culture & Mental Illness in Indonesia (official website)
- Afflictions: Culture & Mental Illness in Indonesia - Volume 1: Psychotic Disorders (IMDB)
- Afflictions: Culture & Mental Illness in Indonesia - Volume 2: Neuropsychiatric Disorders (IMDB)
- Elemental Productions (official website)
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