Movie – Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs
Student’s name
Institution

Introduction
The silence of the Lambs is amongst the most suspenseful, taut, psychological movie. It was produced in the year 1991 and it is directed by Jonathan Demme. The starring of the movie includes Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, and Scott Glenn. The movie is adapted by Ted Tally from a novel “The Silence of the Lambs” by Thomas Harris. The film features the character of the cannibalistic serial killer and a brilliant psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The director of this movie superbly-crafted, harrowing movie is moody, dark, and somber yet exhilarating. It was the second adoption of a novel by Harris featuring Lecter and it was preceded by the Manhunter directed by Michael Mann in 1986. The disturbing inmate characterization of a serial killer who mutilates his targets mostly female is shocking. In the movie Clarice Starling who is a young FBI US trainee pursues Dr. Lecter advice with intention of apprehending Buffalo Bill a serial killer. The movie was released mid-February in 1991. This movie was selected for this paper as it is powerfully acted and brilliantly constructed. Besides, it is very relevant to our class reading in regards to an antisocial personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, transvestic fetishism and transsexualism.
Movie summary
The movies start by introducing the audience to Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) an FBI trainee. Clarice is a young and brilliant student and is singled out by Scott Glenn the in charge of behavioral science unit in the FBI.

She is to help in the pursuit of Buffalo Bill a serial killer who often skins victims after killing them. Scott wants her to approach DR. Hannibal to encourage him to provide Buffalo Bill profile this is a tactical move as the director claims that he might open up to a female. DR. Hannibal offers her a quid pro quo arrangement. The deal is that for every piece of information he provides about the target, Jodie Foster on the return must share one detail in regards to her past. This implies that while DR. Hannibal is helping Jodie Foster get closer to the target he is, on the other hand, worming a way into Clarice psyche. The movie has numerous memorable aspect. When Buffalo Bill is sketching his latest plan to kidnap, murder and skin Catherine the senator’s daughter the movie clearly depicts his symptoms which are signs of the following disorders. Histrionic and antisocial personality disorder, Autogynephilic transsexualism and transvestic.
Histrionic personality disorder
The general characteristics of this disorder include emotional overreaction, constant attention seeking as well as suggestibility. People who suffer from this disorder most often tend to over-dramatize situations. Personality disorders are inflexible and rigid thus such causes internal stress it is an enduring pattern of inner behavior and experience that makes a person to significantly deviate from the expectation of one culture. People suffering from this disorder shows excessive emotionality that is they regard things in an emotional manner and constantly seek attention. This implies that such people are often uncomfortable when not at the center of attention. Buffalo Bill seeks to become a woman and his latest target victim is the senator’s daughter this clearly shows his desire for attention (Grant, Hasin, Stinson, Dawson, Chou, Ruan, & Pickering, 2004).). Beside Buffalo Bill is also very dramatic for instance in the scene “It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it’s told. It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again. Now it places the lotion in the basket” (“The.Silence.Of.The.Lambs.1991 Full Film HD? Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Jonathan Demme,” 2017). Moreover, he is characterized with excessive emotionality for instance in the scene when Catherine started crying he also started crying. More importantly in his own way, he is seductive and lively.
Antisocial personality disorder
Also known as sociopathy this is a mental condition and anybody suffering from this disorder consistently show no concerns to rightness and wrongness thus, such a person ignores the feelings and rights of others people. People suffering from this disorder mostly tend to manipulate, antagonize or even threat other people harshly and sometimes have callous differences. Besides, they show no sense of remorse or guilt for their behaviors. Such people often violate rules and laws thus becoming criminals they may behave violently sometimes tell lies. Because of such behaviors, people suffering from this disorder are unable to fulfill social responsibilities such as having a family. Buffalo Bill the serial killer violates the social norms by kidnapping, skinning and killing females. He is a liar as he uses false names so as to stay in another person house. Through his conduct, he disregards the safety of his victims he is not concerned of the rights of the other people rather he is self-centered as he lives for personal gain of skin. Besides, he very impulsive and aggressive for instance when Clarice was suspicious about him he immediately ran to the basement and prepared for an attack.
Autogynephilic transsexualism
This is a type of mental disorder according to the theory of transgender most women who are not absolutely attracted to men have a sexual fetish for seeing themselves as female (Nuttbrock, Rosenblum, & Blumenstein, 2002). Autogynephilic can be defined as the propensity to be aroused sexually by the image or thought of oneself as a woman. Transsexual is two way one can be exclusively attracted to men or sexually attracted predominantly to the image or thought of oneself as a woman. Thus this disorder is characterized by persistent and strong cross-gender identification as well as persistent discomfort with oneself biological sex. Buffalo Bill could not at any single moment stand being a man all his life as depicted in the movies he desires to be a woman. His desire is so heightened that he starts killing women for their skins so as to make himself a female dress. He spends a considerable time working on feminine appearance and cross-dressing. Such behaviors clearly show that he is an Autogynephilic as he has the image and thought of himself as a female. That is he always fantasize being a female, for instance, there is an instance where he dances with his penis tucked in between his leg and pose for a photo.
Transvestic fetishism
This type of disorder is one among several other psychiatric sexual disorder. This type of disorder is characterized by cross-dressing that is dressing in attires of the opposite sex with intention of becoming sexually aroused (LÅNGSTRöM, & Zucker, 2005). People suffering from this disorder suffer depression, anxiety. From the movie, Buffalo bill enjoy dressing up as a woman beside he enjoys makeups. Buffalo bill has a whole basement full of women cloth inclusive of the cloth he makes of skins of his victims. To some extent, he also has some sort of fetishism sexual attraction centered on the nonsexual body part. For instance, he sighs with ecstasy on touching and feeling Catherine skin. He is possessed with women skins and this implies that he gets some sort of sexual urge from their skin.
Conclusion
The move is a great deal to watch as it does a great job in character creation. The behaviors of the characters in the movie are consistent with the role they play in the movie. The movie also depicts several personality disorders such as antisocial disorder among many others as discussed above. I feel the move would be more thrilling if it had Anthony Hopkins perform as Dr. Hannibal. However, the movie great as it shows how scary and creepy an individual with the above personal disorders can be.
References
Grant, B. F., Hasin, D. S., Stinson, F. S., Dawson, D. A., Chou, S. P., Ruan, W., & Pickering, R. P. (2004). Prevalence, correlates, and disability of personality disorders in the United States: results from the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. The Journal of clinical psychiatry.
LÅNGSTRöM, N. I. K. L. A. S., & Zucker, K. J. (2005). Transvestic fetishism in the general population. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 31(2), 87-95.
Nuttbrock, L., Rosenblum, A., & Blumenstein, R. (2002). Transgender identity affirmation and mental health. International Journal of Transgenderism.
The.Silence.Of.The.Lambs.1991 Full Film HD ? Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Jonathan Demme. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd7ucA192rw