
Asylum
A truly unique documentary that examines the controversial ideas of psychiatrist and philosopher R. D. Laing. ASYLUM is both an exploration of Laing's alternative theories on... Read more
Asylum
Directed by Peter Robinson
Asylum
In 1971, filmmaker Peter Robinson and a small crew entered a world of anarchic madness and healing compassion unlike any other. The resulting film, ASYLUM, records their seven week stay in radical psychiatrist R. D. Laing's controversial Archway Community -- a London row-house where the inmates literally run the asylum. Laing's conviction that schizophrenics can only heal their shattered "self" where they're free and yet are held responsible for their actions, challenged patients, doctors and, in ASYLUM's incredible document, the filmmakers, to live communally and peacefully.
"I think it's possible to get lost here," offers one of the uneasy medical volunteers plunged into Archway's tribal society. Fiercely intellectual David demands attention by engaging anyone and everyone in an unending and increasingly menacing illogical discourse. Consumed by the emotional need that has claimed her sanity, beautiful, lost Julia regresses to infancy. In one astonishing scene, a patient's father blithely explains that he has hired a girl to date his nearly catatonic son. As Archway's residents are pushed to the point of confrontation by David's belligerence, these and other vivid real life characters are "explored but not exploited by this enterprising but humanly decent film." (The New York Times)
A documentary treasure built from truthful moments of astonishing tension and grace, ASYLUM takes on a gripping narrative strength usually only seen in fiction. Hailed as "beautifully done" by The Village Voice at the time of its 1972 release, ASYLUM has since become "a model of cinema verite." (The New York Times)
Reviews
"...a deeply feeling film." - Donia Mills, The Washington Star
"...unlike so many documentaries, it actually has...value as a document." - Roger Greenspun, The New York Times
"Beautifully done...the first and only feature film to be sanctioned by Laing..." - Howard Smith, The Village Voice
"A fascinating documentary both as a period piece and for its theater-of-the-absurd pathos." - J. Hoberman, The Village Voice (2003)
"[Asylum] The only thing we have in film that shows what we think works for well, for people who feel that society is destroying them." - R. D. Laing
RT' @DedzaFilms': NEPTUNE FROST tells the story of a cosmic romance between an intersex hacker and a coltan miner who seed revolution. Expe…
“Provocative. Breathtaking vistas of green hills, waterfalls, and snowy mountaintops…contrast with the high-stakes…' https://t.co/n9LxgZvLq6'
“Mondocane is the genre movie that Italy had been waiting for.” - Giulio Zoppello,' @esquire' MONDOCANE opens today…' https://t.co/n5B0HLSzzN'
NOW PLAYING!🔥 In MONDOCANE, two best friends are caught between love, crime and ambition in a world of the future t…' https://t.co/g1ESNzyGDN'
"Kino Lorber’s new Miklós Jancsó Collection is both welcome and important... presents the esteemed but too-little-k…' https://t.co/zBb3XUXiYR'
MONDOCANE director Alessandro Celli "creates a world worth getting lost in as a viewer, opening up the senses as hi…' https://t.co/o6ievTTmaB'
RT' @am_cinematheque': LF3 limited engagement June 17th - 24th! Q&A w/' @SaulWilliams' &' @dreamstatesmeta' on 6/17 💫' https://t.co/dVIyx0d8Cn'
RT' @Kanopy': We're excited to be partnering with' @KinoLorber' on the release of BRAINWASHED: SEX-CAMERA-POWER (2022). Look for this Nina Menk…
We're thrilled to partner with' @Kanopy' on the release of' @sundancefest' standout BRAINWASHED: SEX-CAMERA-POWER from…' https://t.co/4yzX5rIO78'
RT' @dreamstatesmeta': NEPTUNE FROST SOON IN A THEATER NEAR YOU 🛸✨👁https://t.co/QmTpEM06GD' https://t.co/XV95A6gQMG'
General Inquiries
333 W. 39th St., Ste. 503
New York, NY 10018
Tel. (800) 562-3330
Fax. (212) 714-0871
Press & Media
For publicity assistance and press inquiries please contact us by emailing dninh@kinolorber.com or calling 212-629-6880.
Educational
Please visit our educational site at www.KinoLorberEDU.com
For assistance with educational orders, please contact us at:
Phone:212-629-6880
Fax: 212-714-0871
Email: edu@kinolorber.com