Three Christs

Set in the 1950s, a period when psychiatric care in the United States relied heavily on sedatives and physical interventions. Insulin shock therapy and electroconvulsive treatment were common, while talk therapy remained marginal and controversial. The narrative follows Dr. Stone's attempts to introduce humane methods against a backdrop of institutional resistance.

The action centers on the Ypsilanti State Mental Asylum in Michigan and the clinical environment at New York University in New York City. The facility scenes reflect a mid-20th-century system where patients were largely confined and treated with electricity or insulin shock. The contrast between the two settings highlights the tension between institutional brutality and emerging talk-based therapy.

🧠 Therapy vs Coercion

Stone's humane, talk-based approach contrasts with the prevailing coercive methods of the institution. The three patients reveal distinct traumas, showing that madness can stem from different traumas and experiences. The film questions whether dialogue and understanding can overcome entrenched power structures and punitive practices.

🏛️ Power & Prestige

Orbus's hunger for recognition drives him to bypass colleagues and push perfunctory care to maintain control. The struggle over treatment and authority exposes how prestige markets influence patient care. The narrative suggests that institutional politics can undermine genuine medical progress and risk patients' lives.

✝️ Faith & Delusion

All three patients claim to be Jesus, creating a thread of religious imagery that intersects with trauma and identity. Their beliefs reveal how faith can be a coping mechanism or a fragile construct under pressure. The film uses these delusions to explore why individuals cling to spiritual identities in crisis.