Written for therapists, the Hesleys' tome is the best of several with lists of films dealing with issues such as aging, death and parent-child relationships. Like the two guides mentioned above, it favors conventional works. But there are other reasons. You need to deal in headlines. You get into a discussion of character, then move on to something relevant in the client's life.
Film is just a catalyst, to get to more substantive issues.
Scenes From a Marriage,' if assigned inappropriately, could end up pushing a couple toward an unnecessary divorce. We can't possibly know all the hot-button associations a particular client might make even with a film we've used before. Things can even go wrong with clients seen face to face, John acknowledges. I had a woman whose son was going to prison. I had her watch 'The Shawshank Redemption' because I wanted her to see that although prison is a bleak situation there's always hope and that the human spirit is resilient.