Multiple personality disorder (MPD), also known as Dissociative identity disorder (DID), is a psychiatric disease characterized by the presence of at least two different and relatively stable identities or dissociated personality states. It is a dangerous and acute disorder that necessitates continual monitoring.
So, here’s a list of the best films regarding multiple personality disorder. Please keep in mind that the films have not been ranked in any way. Without further ado, let us go over the list.
Clean, Shaven (1995)
In Clean, Shaven, Peter Greene plays a psychotic man who has recently been freed from a mental facility. He is a threat to himself and others because he is constantly certain that he is being followed, so he cuts “transmitters” out of his skull and isolates himself from the outside world. Peter becomes a suspect in a murder inquiry after hearing terrible sounds while searching for his daughter.
Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
Words on Bathroom Walls follows Charlie Plummer’s character, Adam, who is young and clever (but also insane).
Adam, who is in his senior year of high school, must juggle his schooling, love life, and cooking interest while dealing with the harsh side effects of his medication. When Adam isn’t high on prescription drugs, he’s being hunted by his hallucination buddies, who are battling “The Darkness” that seeps into his consciousness.
Identity (2003)
Identity, a psychological thriller directed by James Mangold, puts a new spin on the classic whodunit mystery film genre. When ten strangers are caught in a storm and take sanctuary at a motel, they discover that they are being slaughtered one by one. And, as the title suggests, Identity revolves around one central question: who is killing everyone?!
As a limo driver hellbent on locating the culprit, John Cusack leads the ensemble cast. Is it the convicted person? What about the prostitute? What about the nine-year-old? It everything comes to a head with a Clue-style investigation.
Primal Fear (1996)
Primal Fear, a courtroom drama unlike any other, has viewers divided about the innocence of murder suspect Aaron Stampler. Edward Norton plays a stuttering, sweet-natured altar boy accused of brutally murdering a priest.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
A Beautiful Mind is a biographical movie that isn’t exactly accurate—but is nonetheless a lot of fun—that won three Oscars in 2002, including Best Picture.
Russell Crowe portrays the turbulent life of Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr., who suffered from schizophrenia and autism, in the film.
Fight Club (1999)
A list of movies with several personalities would be incomplete without mentioning David Fincher’s notorious Fight Club. The cultural effect of this dark comedy extends beyond what we can fit here, yet it deserves to be ranked first.
Edward Norton stars as an unnamed insomniac vehicle specialist who quits his job to start a “fight club” with quirky pal Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt).
By the conclusion, he’s taken aback to discover that he’s the commander of an anti-capitalist terrorist cell, oblivious to the fact that Tyler has been a projection of himself the entire time. For all your clarifications, take a look at this article that explains the Fight Club ending.
Fincher, like Scorsese, delicately hints at his personality disorder through astute editing… So keep an eye out for that!
Split (2016)
Split catapulted actor James McAvoy’s career to new heights, with his performance as a kidnapper suffering from a dissociative identity disorder. McAvoy switches between his 24 distinct alter personas in a matter of seconds.
Split is a dark and gritty mystery thriller that nonetheless manages to have fun exploring its several personalities, from the sophisticated motherly figure Patricia to the nine-year-old youngster Hedwig.
Shutter Island (2010)
US Marshal Teddy Daniels is entrusted with seeking an escaped inmate who drowned her three children on a scary island inhabited by the world’s most crazy criminals.
Teddy is increasingly pressed to confront the truth he has been avoiding as the investigation becomes more challenging.
Donnie Darko (2001)
Who can forget the mind-bending (and time-bending) cult classic film Donnie Darko? Donnie Darko, written and directed by Richard Kelly, effectively started Jake Gyllenhaal’s career with his portrayal of the unstable Donnie, who has paranoid schizophrenia.
Take Shelter (2011)
Take Shelter is a sophisticated and completely engrossing character study featuring Michael Shannon as a calm family father who fears a storm is on the way. Nightmares and hallucinations give him a sixth sense, and he begins frantically building a storm shelter. He, like everyone else, questions his reality due to a family history of schizophrenia. Is his paranoia justifiable, or merely a destructive force of mental illness?