Two Different Ways of Seeing Psychiatric Hospitals from the Standpoint of Cinéma Vérité: La Osa mayor menos dos and Una cierta verdad.

Abstract

This article deals with the depiction of the characters and the stylistic approach taken in two recent Spanish documentaries: La osa mayor menos dos (David Reznak, 2006) and Una cierta verdad (Abel García Roure, 2008). Both films share the same theme: the treatment that mentally ill patients receive in psychiatric hospitals. There are similarities between the two films with respect to the measures taken to help us to identify with the characters and understand them, as well as other thematic affinities, such as long periods of living together with the social workers, and the use of the close-up film angle. There are also some significant differences between their formats such as the use of non-narrative cutaways and that of the direct interview, which correspond to different types of documentaries. Furthermore, the article suggests the possible influences of this realistic cinema on contemporary fictional Spanish film.