Beautiful Dreamers

REVIEW
Torn stars as Walt Whitman in this touching drama in which he befriends the superintendent of a Canadian insane asylum. Their friendship results in the young doctor challenging the beliefs and practices of his profession as he tries to put a more human face on the psychiatry of the late 1800s. The film portrays the conflict between the Christian-based hierarchy of the day and the nascent humanism represented by Whitman -- it's a struggle which, it could be argued, is still with us. Torn puts in another strong performance as the free-thinking poet.