Mad to Be Normal (2018)
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Mad to Be Normal (2018)

Genre
Drama, Biography
Release Date
February 16, 2018
Studio
Samuel Goldwyn Films
Official Site
http://www.samuelgoldwynfilms.com/mad-to-be-normal/
Genre
Drama, Biography
Release Date
February 16, 2018
MPAA Rating
-
Duration
106 minute(s)
Production Budget
-
Studio
Samuel Goldwyn Films
Official Site
http://www.samuelgoldwynfilms.com/mad-to-be-normal/
Director
Robert Mullan
Producer
Charlotte Arden, Phin Glynn, Alan Latham
Screenwriter
Robert Mullan
Starring

There was no more charismatic or controversial a figure during the swinging '60s than Scottish psychiatrist R D Laing. Dubbed "the white Martin Luther King" and the "high priest of anti-psychiatry", Laing was as famous as Dylan.

In 1965, he established Kingsley Hall in East London as a medication-free community for those seriously affected by schizophrenia. His methods, which involved experimenting with LSD on his patients and practicing a form of self-healing known as metanoia, flew in the face of a medical establishment that considered Laing a dangerous radical.

"Mad to Be Normal" offers a powerful account of Laing's Kingsley Hall experiment with a stunning performance from David Tennant that truly gets under the skin of an utterly compelling figure. Tennant's nuanced, complex work conveys a sense of Laing's immense personal charm and the combination of intelligence and arrogance that made him equally revered and reviled.

The film also captures the darker side of a mercurial man who rarely made it easy for those who dared to get close to him, especially his lover Angie (Elisabeth Moss). A magnificent ensemble cast includes heartrending performances from Michael Gambon and Gabriel Byrne.