"Alter Ego" (1986) follows young psychiatrist Joop De Jong as he works to revolutionize mental health care in Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony. Over five years, De Jong sets up a modern, open psychiatric center in a country with no established mental health infrastructure. The film chronicles his efforts to blend traditional beliefs with modern psychiatry, working alongside local authorities, medical staff, and traditional healers. Alter Ego offers an intimate, dynamic look at the challenges of integrating mental health care into a developing nation's public health system, capturing the trials, triumphs, and cultural complexities of this groundbreaking work.
