Mindhunterfans weredealt a crushing blowlast week, but they would do well to check out the trailer for HBO’s new serial killer documentaryCrazy, Not Insanefrom Oscar-winning directorAlex Gibney.
The provocative film followsDr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis, a well-respected psychiatrist who has dedicated her career to the study of murderers, seeking answers to the question of why we kill. In addition to profiling Dr. Lewis and her research, the documentary includes videotaped death row interviews, and examines the formative experiences and neurological dysfunction of such infamous murderers asArthur ShawcrossandTed Bundy, challenging the very notion of evil and proposing that murderers are made rather than born.
Dr. Lewis began her career working with children, including violent juvenile offenders. Her exposure to the testimony of childhood physical and sexual abuse led her to explore the way that trauma in childhood – often coupled with some neurological damage – can sow the seeds of murderous impulses in adults.
Those insights led her to become an expert in dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder) as she observed first-hand the way in which the killers she examined would switch between alternate personalities – or “alters” as she calls them – in the course of her examinations. While Dr. Lewis’s conclusions were often dismissed by others, including by well-known forensic psychiatristPark Dietz, her videotapes of her death row interviews show meaningful transformations between “alters” developed in childhood, often as a way to endure and sometimes avenge the pain they suffered.
Among Dr. Lewis’s most well-known cases is Arthur Shawcross, who was convicted in 1991 of murdering 11 women. While Lewis’s videotaped exchanges with Shawcross show him inhabiting the alters of his vengeful mother and a 13th century cannibal, Shawcross was found sane and guilty in a trial by jury. Lewis was also one of the last people to interview Ted Bundy just before his execution. In an audiotape featured in the film, Bundy was unusually candid with the psychiatrist, revealing new details that upend the conventional wisdom about him. One of Lewis’s regrets is that she was never able to examine Bundy’s brain for clues as to what made one of the world’s most infamous serial killers.
In addition to Shawcross and Bundy, other high-profile convicted murderers and death row inmates assessed by Dr. Lewis includeMark David Chapman,David Wilson,Marie MooreandJoseph Paul Franklin. The film also includes a videotape of Dr. Lewis’ interview with “traveling executioner”Sam Jones, an electrician who also administrated hundreds of death penalty sentences. While claiming he “zapped” convicted killers in the electric chair without regret, Jones displays a collection of disturbing paintings he made after every execution, which reveal his own inner turmoil.
The title ofCrazy, Not Insanerefers to the conflict that the legal system has with the world of medical science in defining grave mental illness. For many years, Dr. Lewis testified in death penalty cases about whether convicted murderers were sane enough to be executed. Her insights and forensic skills helped change the laws and the way that death penalty lawyers approach their clients’ cases. The film also explores the death penalty itself, highlighting the research that indicates that states with the death penalty tend to have higher murder rates than those without, questioning the theory of the death penalty as a deterrent to violence. The documentary asks why society is so determined to execute these dangerous human beings once they’re locked away and no longer a threat?
Crazy, Not Insaneis a stylistic departure for Gibney, who uses a mix of cinema verité, videotapes of psychiatric evaluations, hand-drawn animation and home movies in order to explore the complexities of the human mind. Lewis’ literary voice is read by HBO’sBig Little LiesstarLaura Dernto bring further insight into Lewis’ career and her cases through her writings. Gibney’s portrait of Lewis intends to show a woman of limitless curiosity willing to explore places others are unwilling to go.
Gibney produced the film withOphelia Harutyunyan,Erin EdeikenandJoey Marra. Executive producers includeStacey Offman,Richard PerelloandMaiken Baird, as well as HBO’sNancy AbrahamandLisa Heller.Crazy, Not Insanewill premiere Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 9 p.m. on HBO, and will be available to stream on HBO Max. Watch the trailer below, andclick herefor a look at one of my favorite serial killer movies in recent memory –Alonefrom directorJohn Hyams. you may alsoclick hereto read my fascinating interview withMindhunterauthorJohn Douglas.
