Movie: An Appropriate Adult

[Beware of Junk Psychology...]

I watched this movie the other night and it was both fascinating and chilling. It is the true story of husband/wife serial killers in England. During their capture and subseqent investigation, the Husband (serial killer) was assigned a woman who is trained to be sort of an impartial advocate / social worker role with him, and this position is called an "Appropriate Adult".  Long story short, she becomes entangled with this man in a way you would never expect, and she clearly never imagned either.   I don't want to give it away, but the interaction between her and the Husband, his behavior and her subsequent responses over time, is just fascinating, and scary.  The husband and wife are clearly psychopathic, and I'm not mentioning this film for the purpose of comparing BPD with sociopathic/psychopathic traits, I don't think most of us are dealing with anything nearly as dangerous as the couple depicted in this movie.  It the role of the woman 'appropriate adult' or 'non' that I find interesting, and her interactions with this man, and the results.  This woman is both repelled and mezmerized by this man despite the horrible, almost unspeakable atrocities he freely admits committing. She is also trained to keep her boundaries clean, but... .well, I won't give anymore away, but the dynamics are truly amazing. The way this man is both horrendous while at the same time he is childlike in his trust/dependency of  her and only her... .becomes a very seductive mix.  Lots of trianglulation, etc. This movie is based on a true story.  I found the dynamics fascinating in terms of the role of the woman who is the 'non' and very telling in terms of what happens to a trained  'normal' person psychologically in close quarters with a disordered person, and how the pull into this man's seductive web is so compelling.   There is information given regarding the woman's past that sheds some light on how/why this she is suseptible.  Again, I won't say anymore, but I found it to be chilling but very well done.

[MaybeSo]

I watched this movie the other night and it was both fascinating and chilling. It is the true story of husband/wife serial killers in England. During their capture and subseqent investigation, the Husband (serial killer) was assigned a woman who is trained to be sort of an impartial advocate / social worker role with him, and this position is called an "Appropriate Adult".  Long story short, she becomes entangled with this man in a way you would never expect, and she clearly never imagned either.   I don't want to give it away, but the interaction between her and the Husband, his behavior and her subsequent responses over time, is just fascinating, and scary.  The husband and wife are clearly psychopathic, and I'm not mentioning this film for the purpose of comparing BPD with sociopathic/psychopathic traits, I don't think most of us are dealing with anything nearly as dangerous as the couple depicted in this movie.  It the role of the woman 'appropriate adult' or 'non' that I find interesting, and her interactions with this man, and the results.  This woman is both repelled and mezmerized by this man despite the horrible, almost unspeakable atrocities he freely admits committing. She is also trained to keep her boundaries clean, but... .well, I won't give anymore away, but the dynamics are truly amazing. The way this man is both horrendous while at the same time he is childlike in his trust/dependency of  her and only her... .becomes a very seductive mix.  Lots of trianglulation, etc. This movie is based on a true story.  I found the dynamics fascinating in terms of the role of the woman who is the 'non' and very telling in terms of what happens to a trained  'normal' person psychologically in close quarters with a disordered person, and how the pull into this man's seductive web is so compelling.   There is information given regarding the woman's past that sheds some light on how/why this she is suseptible.  Again, I won't say anymore, but I found it to be chilling but very well done.

[whitedoe]

MaybeSo,

The movie is titled "An Appropriate Adult" and how old is it? I would like to see it! Anyone "famous" that we would know starring in it?

WhiteDoe


PS- there is a movie that C recommended (actually it is also a book) entitled "Shop Girl" written by Steve Martin... .It deals with the topic of emotional unavailability - which is a huge "hook" for me... .I haven't started the book yet but watched the movie. It really hit home for me in terms of the "unvailable" role that Steve Martin plays... .Sad and familiar for me... .But the movie also has humor... .I really enjoyed it... .

[MaybeSo]

Hi WD!  How you doin?

Yes, that's the title, here's some info and also, it's free on Demand on Comcast right now, at least in my neck of the woods it is.  I have been wanting to read and view Shop Girl for a long time now and just have never gotten it, gotta see it!

An Appropriate Adult: This original scripted event tells the story of British serial killer Fred West and his relationship with his "appropriate adult," Janet Leach. In the UK, an "appropriate adult" is appointed to sit in on police interviews with children or vulnerable adults to safeguard their interests.

APPROPRIATE ADULT features acclaimed actor Dominic West (The Wire, 300) portraying Fred West, with Academy Award® nominated actress Emily Watson HILARY AND JACKIE, BREAKING THE WAVES starring as Janet Leach. The film event is a dramatization based on meticulous research and was shot in Manchester, England.

[2010]

It the role of the woman 'appropriate adult' or 'non' that I find interesting, and her interactions with this man, and the results.

From a review:

"Fred is something of a simpleton, but he is not simple. He is clever in a feral way, though as confused as he is clever and as needy as he is stubborn.

But this is Janet's story, above all, that of the appropriate adult, and Watson is remarkable as a woman propelled by her own need to be needed, to do good and prove something to herself into a deep, dark hole, down which she floats half-dazed, like Alice. A mystery to herself."

If the clever simpleton is a feral animal, then is the "non" obsessive compulsive in feeding the feral? and by feeding the feral, gaining a sense of satisfaction for "her own need to be needed, to do good and prove something to herself into a deep, dark hole, down which she floats half-dazed, like Alice?"

The fantasy being that the feral can become something other than a feral with the help of the "non." And the end result being that the Feral creature cannot be tamed and the frustration felt by the animal tamer consistently inconsistent to the point of obsession.