Crazy, Not Insane

Crazy, Not Insane is a 2020 American documentary film directed and produced by Alex Gibney. It follows the research of psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis who studied the psychology of murders. It is narrated by Laura Dern.

Crazy, Not Insane
Official poster
Directed byAlex Gibney
Produced by
  • Alex Gibney
  • Ophelia Harutyunyan
  • Erin Edeiken
  • Joey Marra
Written byAlex Gibney
Narrated byLaura Dern
Music byWill Bates
CinematographyBen Bloodwell
Edited byAndy Grieve
Production
companies
Distributed byHBO
Release date
  • March 18, 2020 (2020-03-18) (CPH:DOX)
  • November 18, 2020 (2020-11-18) (United States)
Running time
117 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The film had its world premiere at Copenhagen International Documentary Festival (CPH:DOX) on March 18, 2020. It was released on November 18, 2020, by HBO.

Plot

The film follows the research of psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis who studied the psychology of murders. Richard Burr, Catherine Yeager, Park Dietz and Bill Hagmaier also appear in the film.

Production

Initially, Alex Gibney asked Dorothy Otnow Lewis if she would consult on a planned miniseries he was doing which was set to star Laura Dern as a psychiatrist who saw patients on death row, Lewis was delighted and agreed, and showed Gibney videotapes of her past cases, which Gibney found interesting.[2][3] Initially the film was called Dorothy and Ted and was set to follow Lewis as she investigated serial killer Ted Bundy and reflected back on her interview with him in 1989, however, in the final cut Bundy appears in a smaller part.[4]

Release

The film was set to have its world premiere at South by Southwest in March 2020, however, the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6] The film instead had its world premiere at the CPH:DOX on March 18, 2020.[7] The film screened at the Venice Film Festival on September 10, 2020.[8][9] It is scheduled to be released on November 18, 2020.[10]

Reception

Critical reception

Crazy, Not Insane received positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 94% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 32 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Crazy, Not Insane isn't as narratively disciplined as documentarian Alex Gibney's best work, but Dorothy Otnow Lewis' clinical analysis of murderous psychology may prompt unexpected sympathy for the devil."[11] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 78 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]

References
  1. "Crazy, Not Insane". South by Southwest. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  2. Spicer, Samuel (November 18, 2020). "'Crazy, Not Insane' Director Alex Gibney on True Crime and Ted Bundy". Newsweek. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  3. Castrodale, Jelisa (November 20, 2020). "What We Get Wrong About Serial Killers, According to an Expert". Vice. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  4. Balaga, Marta (November 22, 2020). "Alex Gibney's 'Crazy, Not Insane' Demystifies the Cult of the Serial Killer". Variety. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  5. Ray-Ramos, Dino (January 15, 2020). "SXSW Sets Judd Apatow's 'The King Of Staten Island' As Opening-Night Film, Unveils Features And Episodics Lineups". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  6. "City of Austin Cancels SXSW March Events". South by Southwest. March 6, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  7. "Crazy, Not Insane". Copenhagen International Documentary Festival. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  8. Tartaglione, Nancy (July 28, 2020). "Venice Film Festival 2020: Competition Light On Studios, Strong On Global Arthouse & Women Directors – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  9. "Crazy, Not Insane". Venice Film Festival. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  10. Tube, Stage (October 26, 2020). "Watch the Trailer for CRAZY, NOT INSANE on HBO". Broadway World. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  11. "Crazy, Not Insane (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  12. "Crazy, Not Insane Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
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