ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 1

NAME: BALCUEVA, SHAINE IRENES HOPE C. Mr. CORONA

COLOR OF NIGHT
1994
Directed by Richard Rush and Written by Billy Ray and Matthew Chapman

Color of Night is a 1994 psychological thriller film directed by Richard Rush. The
movie started with a New York psychoanalyst Dr. Bill Capa, played by Bruce Willis. One
of his patients, Michelle, arrives at the therapy session in a particularly fragile state of
mind. Dr. Capa seems to make light of her problems, and when he flippantly tells her to
"look in the mirror," and starts making a phone call in the middle of their session, she
reacts by jumping out of the window of his office and falling to her death. The sight of
Michelle's blood pooling, dark red around her bright green dress, causes Dr. Capa to
suffer from stress-induced color blindness. He loses the ability to see the color red.
Haunted by the bizarre suicide of a patient, he abandons his successful practice in New
York and relocates to Los Angeles to come to terms with this tragedy. While in L.A.,
Bill's friend, fellow therapist Dr. Bob Moore played by Scott Bakula, invites him to join
his Monday evening group therapy session. A bit reluctantly, Dr. Capa accepts and
meets the members of the group.
In that group, he met Clark who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and
insists on cleanliness and counting things such as the books on the shelves. Sondra, a
nymphomaniac and a kleptomaniac with a habit of marrying wealthy older men who die.
Buck is a salty ex-cop who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after surviving the
brutal murder of his wife and daughter. Every time thunder sounds in, he feels afraid
and anxious as it resembles his tragic experience. Casey is a sadomasochist whose
wealthy, abusive father subsidizes his artistic lifestyle on condition that he remain in
therapy. Lastly, Richie, a sixteen-year-old with a stutter and a gender identity problem,
had run-ins with the law for drugs. The patients tease each other playfully, exhibiting an
easy rapport, and yet the tension generated by some of their interactions hints at a dark
side in each of them.
A couple of days later, Dr. Moore is stabbed to death in his office by a masked
figure in black. Police Detective Lieutenant Martinez suspects one of the patients of the
Monday group to be the killer and he asks Dr. Capa to inform the group of Moore's
death. Dr. Capa doesn't want to get involved but agrees to break the news because he
can do it with more sensitivity and tact than Martinez would use. The next day, as Bill is
driving Moore's car, he gets rear-ended by a pretty young girl in a jeep. She introduces
herself as Rose, played by Jane March. As Rose has no driver's insurance, Bill gives
her his phone number and address so they can settle the matter later.
As he becomes involved in the murder investigation of his friend, he immediately
finds himself entangled in an explosive sexual relationship with a beautiful but enigmatic
woman named Rose played by Jane March, who suffers from dissociative identity
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disorder. She has three (3) persona, Bonnie, which was Sondra's girlfriend, a seductive
and uninhibited alter ego of Rose. When Rose assumes the identity of Bonnie, she
becomes flirtatious, confident, and sexually provocative. Bonnie serves as a stark
contrast to Rose's more reserved demeanor and often emerges in situations involving
intimacy or attraction. Moreover, at times, Rose exhibits a childlike personality,
characterized by innocence, naivety, and dependency. This aspect of her identity
suggests unresolved trauma from her past, causing her to regress to a state of
vulnerability and helplessness.
Dr. Capa is lured to Rose by his sexual cravings, and he discovers this woman
has the power to fulfill his most reckless erotic fantasies. Yet, the more she satisfies
him, the more he finds himself enslaved by her manipulation and control. As Dr. Capa
gets closer to identifying the killer of his patient, Rose becomes an equally tantalizing
mystery that he must solve -- if he can stay alive long enough to avoid a lunatic
murderer who is stalking him.
In the film, Richie Dexter, Richie's older brother and legal guardian, asks Dr.
Capa for permission to take him out of therapy. He explains that he needs to study
Richie's file and deal with legal red tape before making such a decision. Dr. Capa finds
a rattlesnake in his mailbox and is suspected of being involved in a sex-related incident.
Sondra returns home with her girlfriend Bonnie, who turns out to be Rose, Dr. Capa 's
lover. Sondra reveals that Richie was molested as a child and accuses Dr. Capa of
investigating him. He visits Edith but she slams her door in his face. The group
discusses their current relationships, with Sondra mentioning Bonnie, Casey mentioning
his new model, Buck, and Richie mentioning his brother. Clark, baited by Sondra,
admits to having a new "somebody" in his life. Clark tells Dr. Capa that Sondra is
dangerous and chases Dr. Capa around Los Angeles.
Dr. Capa founds that Clark beating his wife severely, and Richie's drug abuse
history. After the party, Bill discovers that Buck's wife and daughter died in a carjacking,
which he believes was "payback for something." Dr. Capa returns to Bob's house and
encounters Rose, who stole one of the house keys. The next day, Dr. Capa learns that
Buck discovered his wife was cheating on him with Martinez two days before her death.
He meets Casey at his loft, but is strangled and bled to death. Dr. Capa breaks into
Casey's loft and finds his blood on a half-burnt painting. Rose and Bill have a sexual
encounter, but Rose stops, sobbing to Sondra. Later, Rose appears at Bob's place and
they start looking at his photo albums. Dr. Capa finds a diary hidden inside an art book
cover, which contains a photo of Rose naked, which everyone recognizes as his
girlfriend. Martinez berates the group for being idiots.
Dr. Capa gives Detective Anderson the license number of Rose's car and asks
him to find the owner. Detective Anderson gives the owner's name to Lieutenant
Martinez. He consults with Larry, who questions the wisdom of pursuing a relationship
with a woman with multiple personality disorder. Mrs. Niedelmeyer tells that Richie
Dexter killed himself four years ago due to her husband's molestation. Dr. Capa finds
Richie in Dale's workshop, bloodied and agitated. She explains that after Richie's
suicide, her brother Dale forced her to dress and act like Richie, and she resisted. After
developing a drug problem, she started to be Rose again when she fell in love with Dr.
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Capa. Bill tries to get Rose to leave with him, but Dale nails her arm to the wall. Dale
ties Dr. Capa inside a metal cage, and Bill uses his "tuning fork" to figure out that his
obsession with turning Rose into Richie stems from his guilt over allowing Niedelmeyer
to treat Richie. At the end, Dr. Capa sees a red beacon flashing in the background,
cured of his color-blindness by love.
Color of Night is a film that explores psychological concepts, trauma, personality
disorders, and therapeutic processes. It focuses on Capa's fear of blood, as a poignant
exploration of phobia and its underlying psychological mechanisms, shedding light on
the interplay between past trauma and present fears Rose's multiple personality
disorder, illustrating its profound impact on relationships and self-perception. Through
her character, the film explores the complexities of personality disorders and the
challenges of managing intense emotions and impulsivity. The film also highlights the
ethical complexities of treating individuals with complex psychological issues. It
highlights the need for trauma-informed care and evidence-based interventions, as well
as the importance of comprehensive assessment and personalized treatment
strategies. Dr. Capa's interactions with his patients underscore the importance of
empathy, trust, and boundary-setting in the therapeutic process, while also highlighting
the ethical complexities inherent in treating individuals with complex psychological
issues. The ethical dilemmas faced by Dr. Capa and other mental health professionals
also raise questions about boundaries, professional conduct, and the duty of care. The
film's exploration of trauma, personality disorders, and therapeutic dynamics reflects the
multifaceted nature of psychological struggles and the challenges inherent in
addressing them
Color of Night is a captivating film that offers a compelling exploration of the
complexities of human behavior and mental processes, focusing on complex characters
dealing with trauma, identity, and interpersonal dynamics, weaving together
psychological themes with elements of suspense and mystery. It offers a thought-
provoking examination of psychological phenomena and the transformative power of
self-discovery and healing.
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REFERENCES:

IMDb.com. (1994, August 19). Color of night. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109456/