2. Titicut Follies (1967)
Why It's Controversial: Titicut Follies is a documentary set in Bridgewater State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Massachusetts. It was directed by Frederick Wiseman and is named after the annual talent show that the inmates hold. Be prepared to be disturbed, be prepared to be very disturbed. The authorities gave Wiseman permission to film, but once they saw the results, they got the film yanked from distribution on the basis that it violated the inmate's privacy and dignity. This film is very hard to get hold of. I managed to download it from the internet and I had to stop about three quarters of the way through because I was so sickened by the way the staff treated the patients. Inmates are routinely taunted, goaded and bullied by staff. One patient is force fed and the doctor doing the force feeding casually lets his cigarette ash fall into the funnel. Patients are stripped naked for no discernible reason other than to humiliate them. The inmates have no quality of life whatsoever.
Why It's Good: Wiseman's film needs no narration - what the camera picks up, speaks for itself. He succeeds in his objectives to show us how abominable life is for the inmates and the extent of corruption amongst the staff. Wiseman shows us an ugly portrait of people on the edge of existence - they may be condemned and locked up, but we cannot forget our humanity - even the 'lowest' of society deserve to be treated as humans not beasts. The film is so disturbing, it was not shown on Cinema, TV or VHS until 1992 when American network PBS procured the rights to the movie. They had to preface it with a warning. I can attest to the film's power to disturb and I would only recommend this one to viewers with hearty constitutions.