#1. Haxan (1922)

Storyline: A hybrid of documentary and fiction, this silent film explores the history of witchcraft, demonology and satanism. It shows representations of evil in a variety of ancient and medieval artworks, offers vignettes illustrating a number of superstitious practices and presents a narrative about the persecution of a woman accused of witchcraft. The film ends by suggesting that the modern science of psychology offers important insight into the beliefs and practices of the past.

Plot Keywords: satan, witch, monk, mentally impaired person, doctor, gory, offbeat ...

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#2. Autumn Sonata (1978)

Storyline: After having neglected her children for many years, world famous pianist Charlotte visits her daughter Eva in her home. To her surprise she finds her other daughter, Helena, there as well. Helena is mentally disabled, and Eva has taken Helena out of the institution where their mother had placed her. The tension between Charlotte and Eva only builds up slowly, until a nightly conversation releases all the things they have wanted to tell each other.

Plot Keywords: mother, daughter, mentally impaired person, pianist, melodramatic, gripping, sad ...

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#3. The Saint of Fort Washington (1993)

Storyline: Matthew, a young schizophrenic, finds himself out on the street when a slumlord tears down his apartment building. Soon, he finds himself in even more dire straits, when he is threatened by Little Leroy, a thug who is one of the tough denizens of the Fort Washington Shelter for Men. He reaches out to Jerry, a streetwise combat veteran, who takes Matthew under his wing as a son. The relationship between these two men grows as they attempt to conquer the numbing isolation of homelessness.—Tad Dibbern <DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu>

Plot Keywords: homeless person, mentally impaired person, bully, friend, veteran, gritty, emotional ...

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#4. Keane (2004)

Storyline: A man in his early 30s (Keane) struggles with the supposed loss of his daughter from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York, while fighting serious battles with schizophrenia. We can never be sure if the loss is real or imaginary; or whether his overt interest in helping young girls is innocent and of a fatherly nature, or is of a darker, scarier motive.—Heidi Levitt

Plot Keywords: mentally impaired person, father, single mother, daughter, bleak, dark, uneasy ...

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#5. The Rain People (1969)

Storyline: Having discovered that she is pregnant, Natalie Ravenna, a Long Island housewife panics and leaves home to see if she might just possibly have made something different out of herself; if she can manage to unshackle her grocery list worth of responsibilities that add up to a life with a husband she loves. In a motel room where Natalie stops to rest during the day, she sits motionless on the bed, and experiences the exuberance of complete freedom and the queasy feelings of new beginnings. Natalie continues on with her journey and picks up a young hitch-hiker named Killer, an attractive brain-damaged football player. It is through Killer that a more disturbing question is posed to Natalie than that of domestic responsibility. How deeply are we wedded to chance meetings and are we responsible for the crimes that we witness?—alfiehitchie

Plot Keywords: police officer, mentally impaired person, pregnant wife, housewife, widower, hitchhiker, melodramatic ...

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#7. The Lawnmower Man (1992)

Storyline: A scientist performs experiments involving intelligence enhancing drugs and virtual reality on a simple-minded gardener. He puts the gardener on an extensive schedule of learning, and quickly he becomes brilliant. But at this point the gardener has a few ideas of his own on how the research should continue, and the scientist begins losing control of his experiments.

Plot Keywords: mentally impaired person, mad scientist, priest, widow, government official, eerie, dreamy ...

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#9. Profoundly Normal (2003)

Storyline: In this true story, Donna (Kirstie Alley) is a developmentally disabled woman growing up in Forest Haven, an institution for challenged individuals. She falls for fellow resident Ricardo (Delroy Lindo) and fights to remain strong amid the abusive staff at Forest Haven. As the couple grow older, they must adjust to life outside the institution and learn basic life skills. But Donna and Ricardo face the biggest obstacles of their lives when they decide to start a family together.

Plot Keywords: mentally impaired person, husband, doctor, social worker, baby, love interest, inspiring ...

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