17 film recommendations for Psychology Majors

Modified Feb 13, 2025 10:26 ET

Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind | Image via Universal Pictures

15) Awakenings (1990)

Robin Williams in Awakenings | Image via Columbia Pictures

Awakenings, a film made in 1990, serves as a very good source material for students of psychology because this film tells the true story of Dr. Oliver Sacks's works with catatonic patients, through a fictional character Dr. Malcolm Sayer ( Robin Williams). Based on the book of the same name, the film traces the introduction of a new medication called L-Dopa, which is administered to raise patients from deep vegetative states, often after decades of inactivity. The film touches on the complex aspects of neurological disorders and the ethical dilemmas in experimental treatments, as well as the emotional trauma on both the patients and their caregivers.