Deep Down

The version I saw was 1976 original made-for-television miniseries, not the 2007 remake. The over three hour length is well needed to develop characters (there are 13 personalities of Sybil!) and to illustrate human hurts.

Given the complication of the case, the full therapy took 11 years in total. Psychoanalysis is the main modality. I was, however, waiting for hypnosis to come up as I couldn’t imagine resolving this issue without using hypnosis. Eventually it came at 1h44. Psychiatrist Cornelia Wilbur (played by Joanne Woodward. Ironically, Joanne herself played Eve, a young Georgia housewife suffering from multiple personalities in an earlier movie Three Faces of Eve) convinced Vicky (Sybil’s sophisticated French speaking personality) to go for hypnosis to find out the cause of the connection between purple and Christmas. Vicky went back to 5 year old grandma’s room. It’s so interesting to see her on the chair, and her tone of voice change to a little girl in regression.

Almost at the end, about 2h58, while Syblil is on her way to be healed. Dr. Wilbur took Sybil for a picnic. There in the beautiful nature, lying on Dr. Wilbur’s lap, Sybil has her outdoor hypnotherapy session, to integrate all her personalities into one. Of course this is a drama movie, so everything is dramatized; however, I always fancy to have hypnosis sessions in such a beautiful setting myself.

“You will remember, but you won’t feel the hurt. The hurt is in the past.” — Dr. Wilbur.