Movie Recommendation: The Ninth Configuration (1980)

Cutshaw, Why won’t you go to the moon?

Col. Vincent Kane (Stacy Keach) is a military psychiatrist who takes charge of an army mental hospital situated in a secluded castle. Among Kane's many eccentric patients is Capt. Billy Cutshaw (Scott Wilson), a troubled astronaut in the midst of an existential crisis. Although Kane's own grasp on sanity is questionable, he manages to engage Cutshaw in a series of thoughtful conversations about science and faith that deeply affect the lives of both men.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
The Ninth Configuration is directed by William Peter Blatty, the man behind famous ‘The Exorcist’ from 1973. This fact and the poster image (an astronaut on the moon facing Jesus on a Crucifix) was enough for me to get intrigued about this movie.

I really enjoy movies where categorizing the genre is very difficult. While recommending such movies, if someone asks me about the genre, I reply with “Just watch it cause, I can’t really express the entire theme in two to three words”. This movie like its characters is surreal and has multiple personalities with underlying tone of comedy , psychological thriller & philosophical art.

Apart from being hysterically funny sometimes, The Ninth Configuration deals with the dark aspects of human condition, existence of god, presence of good in humanity even in worst conditions, and how faith might push one to take severe steps to gain redemption.

“I don’t think evil grows out of madness, I think madness grows out of evil”

If you are a fan of non-traditional & surreal movies with multiple tones, but still highly thoughtful and entertaining. I’d highly recommend this one.