This week the dads take on Mad to Be Normal (2017), a little-seen British drama starring David Tennant as the controversial Scottish psychiatrist R.D. Laing.
Set in 1960s London, the film follows Laing’s radical experiment at Kingsley Hall, where doctors and patients lived side by side without medication, shock therapy, or the heavy hand of institutional psychiatry. Instead, Laing championed empathy, conversation, and even LSD as pathways to healing — ideas that put him at odds with the medical establishment, but also made him a counter-cultural cult figure.
The cast is strong: Tennant leads with manic charm, Elizabeth Moss plays Angie, a student who becomes both lover and anchor, Gabriel Byrne appears as troubled patient Jim, and Michael Gambon delivers a heart-breaking turn in one of the film’s darkest storylines.
We dive into:
- How Laing’s philosophy blurred the line between therapy and chaos.
- Whether his commune was compassionate innovation or dangerous neglect.
- The tension between his devotion to patients and his neglect of family.
- A few jaw-dropping scenes that left us wondering how much was truth and how much was “dramatic licence.”
It’s a grim, sometimes ugly film — not a Friday-night crowd-pleaser — but it opens up fascinating questions about how mental health has been treated and misdiagnosed. The dads split on whether it’s a strong recommend or just an interesting curio, but there’s no denying Tennant’s performance is electric.
If you’re curious about alternative psychiatry, or just want to see David Tennant playing a very different kind of doctor, give this one a look.
We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at baddadsjsy@gmail.com or on our website baddadsfilm.com.
Until next time, we remain...
Bad Dads
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