Rotten Tomatoes
Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Crazy, Not Insane

Play trailer 1:43 Poster for Crazy, Not Insane 2020 1h 58m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
94% Tomatometer 33 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Psychiatrist Dorothy Otnow Lewis stirs controversy for her views on serial killers and the death penalty.

Where to Watch

Crazy, Not Insane

Crazy, Not Insane

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Crazy, Not Insane isn't as narratively disciplined as documentarian Alex Gibney's best work, but Dorothy Otnow Lewis' clinical analysis of murderous psychology may prompt unexpected sympathy for the devil.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Becca James Chicago Reader 12/30/2020
A forensic psychiatrist known for her controversial views on serial killers and the death penalty, Lewis is an absorbing subject. Go to Full Review
Neal Justin Minneapolis Star Tribune 12/30/2020
Focusing on Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis, a rebel psychiatrist who believed in multiple personality disorder long before her colleagues did. The videos of her interviewing mass murderers are riveting. Go to Full Review
Katie Rife AV Club 12/16/2020
B-
It's a fascinating idea, enhanced by some hair-raising interview footage that could make the most skeptical mind question whether there might be something to Lewis' theories. Go to Full Review
Milana Vujkov Lola On Film 01/25/2024
4/5
Dr. Lewis is exceptionally empathetic, at the same time, she is painstakingly, surgically inspecting every facet of the perpetrators’ lives [...] like a true detective would (a parallel she would appreciate), tracing the villain origins of [DID] creation. Go to Full Review
Sayan Ghosh The Hindu 09/27/2023
...what intrigues them more is the age-old question which has never been met with a satisfying answer — what makes an individual indulge in prolonged periods of frenzied killing? Go to Full Review
Fernanda Solórzano Letras Libres 10/26/2021
Crazy, Not Insane approaches the topic of serial killers from what I believe is a quite necessary angle. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Julian S. @akajulianscott Sep 19 CRAZY, NOT INSANE navigates the gray zones of human behavior, unpacking the wild, often violent impulses Lewis has spent a lifetime studying. See more Agnes F @rendbezsolika 06/27/2024 Mindblowing findings from a compassionate psychiatrist. You'll feel sorry for serial killers. Really. See more pj m @RT55555596 01/15/2022 Intense, thought provoking. See more 10/27/2021 It is a documentary about Dr. Dorothy Lewis's work on the psychology of killing. However, the work mostly focuses on her study on serial killers and DID, the question of what motivates us to kill is not properly investigated as the doc rather chooses to focus on the cases with a history of abuse. I am not an authority about the matter, hovewer, I find it insufficient that only counter perspective to that of Lewis is an former goverment worker who had been portrayed one-sided. See more 08/09/2021 Daring, schoking and mostly fascinating, this documentary is a inmersive exploration of human brain, and its behaviour in a world full of abuse, violence and trauma. See more 03/08/2021 This was an eye-opening documentary, well put together, cogent and fascinating, on how serial killers come about. Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis was a knowledgeable and empathic descriptor, showing audio and/or footage of interviews with serial killers along with more of the story. It was a completely unforgettable take on the forensics of the underlying foundation of the serial killer personality and process. See more Read all reviews
Crazy, Not Insane

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING
No Stone Unturned 79% 89% No Stone Unturned Watchlist Janis: Little Girl Blue 94% 77% Janis: Little Girl Blue Watchlist TRAILER for Janis: Little Girl Blue Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind 94% 89% Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind Watchlist TRAILER for Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind Personhood: Policing Pregnant Women in America 100% % Personhood: Policing Pregnant Women in America Watchlist TRAILER for Personhood: Policing Pregnant Women in America The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley 78% 75% The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Psychiatrist Dorothy Otnow Lewis stirs controversy for her views on serial killers and the death penalty.
Director
Alex Gibney
Producer
Erin Edeiken, Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan, Joey Marra
Screenwriter
Alex Gibney
Production Co
Jigsaw Productions
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 18, 2020
Runtime
1h 58m
Most Popular at Home Now