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Critical Flicker Fusion: Psychoanalysis at the Movies

Author(s) : William Fried

Reviews and Endorsements

‘Dr Fried brings to the fore the power of “reel” texts, translating them into written ones with wit and delicious eloquence. Each chapter reveals Fried’s unique ability to read images with something akin to an analytic “third eye”. In so doing he unveils the hidden subtexts of his chosen films. The book is an invitation to conduct a dialogue between literature and psychoanalytically informed knowledge. Dr Fried’s style evokes the forerunners of our discipline who have always relied on literary masterpieces to shed light onto clinical phenomena. Critical Flicker Fusion is a brilliant contribution to contemporary attempts to delve into the rich sub-texts of cultural products. It ought to be mandatory reading for those in training to become mental health practitioners, as well as for those interested in appreciating the inherent multilayers of cinematic narratives.’
- Dr Isaac Tylim, Clinical Associate Professor and Consultant at New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis and fellow of the International Psychoanalytical Association

‘A delightful psychological companion for film lovers everywhere, Critical Flicker Fusion interprets film as imaginative work of the deeper dimensions of the mind. Fried walks us through a number of films with the skill of a master clinician, closely analyzing the openings, plots, and characters of a number of films while revealing their unconscious, relational and psychodynamic patterns and thus arriving at deeper and richer meanings. Here the dialogue between film and psychoanalysis enriches our knowledge about what it means to be human. I recommend it to all who wish to expand their understanding and experience of cinema and the human condition.’
- Danielle Knafo, PhD, author of Dancing with the Unconscious: The Art of Psychoanalysis and the Psychoanalysis of Art

‘In this rich collection of essays William Fried shares his thinking about secrets, transgression, boundaries and their violation, unconscious dynamics, love and lust, time and death, human identity and more, in film. It is not only the creativity of his thinking that he offers, but also a window into his ways of thinking, allowing us to reflect on our own ways of responding to film and take these to new limits.’
- Darlene Bregman Ehrenberg, PhD, ABPP, author of The Intimate Edge: Extending the Reach of Psychoanalytic Interaction