Three Christs

Last updated

Three Christs
Three Christs poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jon Avnet
Screenplay by
Based on The Three Christs of Ypsilanti
by Milton Rokeach
Produced by Daniel Levin
Molly Hassell
Jon Avnet
Aaron Stern [1]
Starring
Cinematography Denis Lenoir
Edited byPatrick J. Don Vito
Music by Jeff Russo
Production
companies
  • Brooklyn Films
  • Highland Film Group
  • Narrative Capital
Distributed by IFC Films
Release dates
  • September 12, 2017 (2017-09-12)(TIFF)
  • January 10, 2020 (2020-01-10)(United States)
Running time
109 minutes [2] [3] [4] [5]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$37,788 [3] [2]

Three Christs, also known as State of Mind, [6] is a 2017 American drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Jon Avnet and based on Milton Rokeach's nonfiction book The Three Christs of Ypsilanti . It screened in the Gala Presentations section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. [7] [8] [9] The film is also known as: Three Christs of Ypsilanti, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti, Three Christs of Santa Monica, and The Three Christs of Santa Monica. [5]

Contents

Plot

Dr. Alan Stone, a progressive and idealistic psychologist, dropped out of New York University in 1954 to work directly with patients at the Ypsilanti State Mental Asylum. Stone, whose focus is on schizophrenic patients, is widely considered a critic of the system. In the 1950s, people with mental illnesses were mostly only kept in institutions and sedated when needed. Treatments with insulin shock therapy and the use of electric shocks were common, while talk therapy was only a marginal phenomenon.

In Ypsilanti, Stone meets two patients who both believe they are Jesus Christ: the short intellectual Joseph Cassell and the gruff Clyde Benson. Out of this coincidence, the psychologist develops a format of group talk therapy. He has another patient transferred to Ypsilanti who also believes he is Christ, Leon Gabor, and brings the three men together to study their behavior. He finds out that the problems of the three are completely different. Gabor suffered all his life from his deeply religious mother, and he was also traumatized by multiple rapes by a man he had been exposed to as a soldier. Benson couldn't cope with the death of his beloved wife from an abortion. Cassell is prone to outbursts of anger. Once admitted to the institution, he was repeatedly sedated with electric shocks, which he subsequently developed a great fear of because he feared for his sanity. Contrary to the skepticism of many colleagues, including the head of the institution, Dr. Orbus, Stone takes a different course and, for example, completely dispenses with physical punishment. In fact, he manages to get through to the patients by talking to them and writing them letters.

When he makes the cover of a professional journal with his new approach, it arouses the envy of Dr. Orbus, who wants a share of the fame and henceforth urges to be involved in the treatment. Since Stone reacts reservedly to Orbus's obvious craving for prestige, the latter finally bypasses the colleague and lets Cassell be taken alone to his office for an interview. It is revealed that Stone wrote the letters to Cassell on Orbus' behalf since the head of the asylum originally declined the task. Cassell feels betrayed by Stone and stalled by Orbus. Despite good behavior, he sees his hopes of leaving the clinic dwindling. Out of anger at this realization, he becomes abusive again, which is why Orbus orders renewed electric shocks for him. Stone rushes over and tries to stop it, but is ultimately unable to prevent the shocks. In a skirmish with another doctor, he injures him and himself. Orbus then has him expelled from the institution.

Orbus takes over his patients. Cassell, however, who noticed that Stone wanted to save him and also that he then disappeared, no longer trusts Orbus. He sees himself in his power and believes in another long suffering. Finally, during a conversation in the chapel's bell tower with Orbus, he jumps out of the window and dies.

In the later hearing, Stone accused Orbus of making negligent decisions. He also deciphers Cassell's last words, according to which Cassell not only committed suicide to be free but above all gave his life to justify the sins of Orbus as Jesus did the sins of mankind. The hearing ends with Stone being fired. However, he is granted permission and funds to continue his study, including the two remaining patients in New York. Orbus, on the other hand, remains formally in his post, but without decision-making powers until his retirement. The film closes with a summary. Although Stone's therapeutic approach ultimately did not prove to be effective, it would have helped him himself. In the final scene, Stone takes the dead Cassell's seat, playing cards with the two Jesuses.

Cast

Production

The film is an adaptation of The Three Christs of Ypsilanti, [10] Rokeach's 1964 book-length psychiatric case study of three patients whose paranoid schizophrenic delusions cause each of them to believe he is Jesus Christ. [11]

Three Christs began filming in New York in the summer of 2016. [12] Three short scenes, shot in downtown Ypsilanti, were included in the film.

Release

The film had its world premiere in the Gala Presentations section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. [7] [8] [9] It was released in theaters and on VOD by IFC Films on January 10, 2020. [13] [2] [4] It was released on Shout Factory on June 16, 2020. [2]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 43% based on 51 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Three Christs is far from an unholy mess, but this fact-based drama forsakes its talented cast with a disappointingly facile treatment of genuinely interesting themes." [4] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 39 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Gere</span> American actor (born 1949)

Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and a starring role in Days of Heaven (1978). Gere came to prominence with his role in the film American Gigolo (1980), which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol. Gere's other films include An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), The Cotton Club (1984), No Mercy (1986), Pretty Woman (1990), Sommersby (1993), Intersection (1994), First Knight (1995), Primal Fear (1996), Runaway Bride (1999), Dr. T & the Women (2000), Shall We Dance? (2004), I'm Not There (2007), Arbitrage (2012) and Norman (2016). For portraying Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago (2002), he won a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Dinklage</span> American actor (born 1969)

Peter Hayden Dinklage is an American actor. Portraying Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019), Dinklage won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series a record four times. He also received a Golden Globe Award in 2011 and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2020 for the role. Dinklage has a common form of dwarfism, known as achondroplasia, and stands 4 ft 5 in (1.35 m) tall. He has used his celebrity status to raise social awareness of dwarfism.

<i>Jesus of Montreal</i> 1989 Canadian film

Jesus of Montreal is a 1989 Canadian comedy drama film written and directed by Denys Arcand, and starring Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening and Johanne-Marie Tremblay. The film tells the story of a group of actors in Montreal who perform a Passion play in a Quebec church, combining religious belief with unconventional theories on a historical Jesus. As the church turns against the main actor and author of the play, his life increasingly mirrors the story of Jesus, and the film adapts numerous stories from the New Testament.

<i>Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter</i> 2001 film by Lee Demarbre

Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter is a 2001 Canadian horror parody film from Odessa Filmworks which deals with Jesus Christ's modern-day struggle to protect the lesbians of Ottawa, Ontario, from vampires with the help of Mexican wrestler El Santo.

<i>Dr. T & the Women</i> 2000 American film

Dr. T & The Women is a 2000 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Altman, featuring an ensemble cast including Richard Gere as wealthy gynecologist Dr. Sullivan Travis and Helen Hunt, Farrah Fawcett, Laura Dern, Shelley Long, Tara Reid, Kate Hudson, and Liv Tyler as the various women that he encounters in his everyday life. The movie was primarily filmed in Dallas, Texas, and was released in US theaters on October 13, 2000. The film's music was composed by American composer and alternative country singer Lyle Lovett, who released an album of his score in September 2000.

<i>King David</i> (film) 1985 film by Bruce Beresford

King David is a 1985 American Biblical epic film about the life of David, the second King of the Kingdom of Israel, as recounted in the Hebrew Bible. The film is directed by Bruce Beresford, written by Andrew Birkin and James Costigan, and stars Richard Gere in the title role. The ensemble cast includes Edward Woodward, Alice Krige, Denis Quilley, Cherie Lunghi, Hurd Hatfield, John Castle, Jean-Marc Barr, Christopher Malcolm, and Gina Bellman.

Milton Rokeach was a Polish-American social psychologist. He taught at Michigan State University, the University of Western Ontario, Washington State University, and the University of Southern California. A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Rokeach as the 85th most cited psychologist of the 20th century.

<i>Red Corner</i> 1997 American mystery thriller film

Red Corner is a 1997 American mystery thriller film directed by Jon Avnet, and starring Richard Gere, Bai Ling and Bradley Whitford. Written by Robert King, the film is about an American businessman in China who ends up wrongfully on trial for murder. His only hope of exoneration and freedom is a female defense lawyer from the country. The film received the 1997 National Board of Review Freedom of Expression Award and the NBR Award for Breakthrough Female Performance. Ling also won the San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress.

<i>Mr. Jones</i> (1993 film) 1993 film directed by Mike Figgis

Mr. Jones is a 1993 American romantic drama film directed by Mike Figgis, and starring Richard Gere, Lena Olin, Anne Bancroft, Tom Irwin and Delroy Lindo.

<i>The Three Christs of Ypsilanti</i> Milton Kokeach psychiatric case study

The Three Christs of Ypsilanti (1964) is a book-length psychiatric case study by Milton Rokeach, concerning his experiment on a group of three males with paranoid schizophrenia at Ypsilanti State Hospital in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The book details the interactions of the three patients—Clyde Benson, Joseph Cassel, and Leon Gabor—each of whom believed himself to be Jesus Christ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Russo</span> American songwriter and composer

Jeff Russo is an American composer, songwriter, guitarist, vocalist and music producer, and one of the two founding members of the rock band Tonic. He is also a founding member of acoustic rock band Low Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Avnet</span> American film and television director, writer and producer

Jonathan Michael Avnet, is an American director, writer and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oren Moverman</span> American film producer

Oren Moverman is an Israeli American, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, film director, and Emmy Award-winning film producer. He has directed the films The Messenger, Rampart, Time Out of Mind, and The Dinner. He also directed the Paramount+ documentary series "Willie Nelson & Family" with Thom Zimny.

Jeremy Kushnier is a Canadian actor, singer and songwriter.

Eric Nazarian is an Armenian-American film director and screenwriter.

The Ypsilanti State Hospital housed and treated patients for mental health disorders. The hospital complex was located at the northeast corner of Platt and Willis roads, in York Charter Township; one mile south of the boundary with Pittsfield Charter Township and two miles west of the Augusta Charter Township boundary. The City of Saline was four miles due west of the hospital on Willis Road, while the City of Milan was five miles due south on Platt Road. The hospital, which was three miles from the point where York and Ypsilanti charter townships meet, was called "Ypsilanti" because the area is served by the Ypsilanti telephone exchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ypsilanti, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Ypsilanti, commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and east by Ypsilanti Township. It is home of Eastern Michigan University.

<i>Pixels</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Chris Columbus

Pixels is a 2015 science fiction comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written by Tim Herlihy and Timothy Dowling, based on a story penned by Herlihy. Loosely adapted from the 2010 short film of the same name by Patrick Jean, the film stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad and Brian Cox. Combining animated video game characters and visual effects, the film involves an alien race misinterpreting video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, to which they respond by attacking Earth with technological replicas of characters from the games. The President of the United States assembles a team of former arcade champions to lead the planet's defense.

<i>Time Out of Mind</i> (2014 film) 2014 film

Time Out of Mind is a 2014 American drama film written and directed by Oren Moverman and starring Richard Gere, Jena Malone, Ben Vereen, Kyra Sedgwick, and Steve Buscemi. It was released on September 11, 2015, by IFC Films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Dinklage on screen and stage</span> Filmography

Peter Dinklage is an American actor and producer. He studied acting at the Bennington College where he starred in a number of amateur stage productions. He made his film debut in the 1995 comedy-drama Living in Oblivion. After appearing in a series of supporting parts in much of the 1990s and early 2000s, he made his breakthrough by starring in the Tom McCarthy-directed comedy-drama The Station Agent (2003), which had him play a railroad-obsessed introvert who inherits an abandoned train depot. He was cast in the role by director Tom McCarthy who recalled fondly his appearance in McCarthy's play The Killing Act (1995). For his performance, he received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Actor and an Independent Spirit Awards nomination for Best Male Lead. In the same year, Dinklage played the title role in the play Richard III at The Public Theater. He also played a children's book author in the comedy Elf. In 2006, he appeared in the Sidney Lumet-directed crime film Find Me Guilty. He followed with roles in the films Underdog (2007), the British film Death at a Funeral (2007), with its American remake of the same name (2010) and Trumpkin in the high fantasy film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008).

References

  1. "Three Christs" Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Three Christs (2019)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Three Christs (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb . Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Three Christs". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media . Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Turner Classic Movies - Three Christs". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  6. "State of Mind - Movies on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Pond, Steve (August 15, 2017). "Aaron Sorkin, Brie Larson, Louis CK Movies Added to Toronto Film Festival Lineup". TheWrap . Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Roxborough, Scott (October 9, 2017). "Toronto According to ... Exec Daniel Levin". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  9. 1 2 Hammond, Pete (September 7, 2017). ""Washington, Chastain, Gyllenhaal, Cumberbatch, Garfield & More Look For Oscar Boost At Toronto"". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  10. Siegel, Tatiana (May 9, 2016). "Cannes: Richard Gere to Star in Jon Avnet's 'Three Christs'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  11. McNary, Dave (June 23, 2016). "Julianna Margulies in Talks to Join 'The Three Christs' With Richard Gere". Variety . Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  12. Perkins, Tom (August 8, 2016). "'The Three Christs of Ypsilanti' starring Richard Gere filming in New York". The Ann Arbor News . Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  13. Reimann, Tom (November 25, 2019). "Watch the New Trailer for 'Three Christs' Starring Richard Gere and Peter Dinklage". Collider . Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  14. "Three Christs Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive . Retrieved March 4, 2023.