The movie opens with David's mother admitting him to a private facility for emotionally disturbed teens. David has a deathly fear of being touched by others (literally, he thinks he will die if touched) and he is obsessed with time and clocks. At the facility is a young girl Lisa who is schizophrenic, speaks in rhymes, and is quite disassociated from reality. The movie details how these two meet and the changes they effect on each other.Keir Dullea is perfectly cast as David. His gradual transformation from a near automaton, virtually incapable of interacting with others, to someone a little less rigid is a fine feat of acting. Dullea has played rather stiff personalities in other movies, most notably "The Fox" and "2001," and one wonders if his portrayal of David is but an exaggeration of his own personality. Janet Margolin is equally accomplished in her portrayal of Lisa. Howard Da Silva is very believable as the benevolent psychiatrist Dr. Swinford, but his role is not terribly demanding and we come to know very little about him personally.The black and white photography is effective and appropriate for the stark subject matter which is concerned exclusively with people and mental states. There are dream sequences that Alfred Hitchcock would have envied. The period details of the late 50s, early 60s (apparel, cars, home décor) are interesting.When the kids from the home venture into the wider world their behavior is often viewed as bizarre and threatening by others. It is one of the strengths of the movie that in this context, our having been with the kids for awhile and gotten used to them a bit, their behavior is somewhat understandable. Maybe the next time we see someone behaving oddly in public we might reflect on this movie. However, it is a question whether the sympathy we come to have for David and Lisa is in no small part due to the fact that they are so attractive.A psychiatrist might have a more accurate opinion, but for the lay person the story has many difficulties. We are led to believe that mere socialization can lead to rapid improvement in treating some of the most intransigent mental disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia. While it is true that Dr. Swinford is always lurking in the background, he is not shown here to have any deeper insights or worth beyond that of a good friend (not to underrate the value of a good friend). While we come to understand that at the root of David's obsessions is a fear of death, we have no idea how he wound up in the condition he is in. Lacking any further evidence we are left with the implication that it has something to do with his having an absent and remote father and a domineering mother. But surely that could not be the total cause of an impairment as serious as David's. What was David like before we meet him? It is hard to picture him functioning in the day-to-day world. We know even less about Lisa's background, nothing really. We are offered the common stereotype that schizophrenia is the same as multiple personality disorder, since Lisa alternates between being Lisa and Muriel. As to the others in the facility we get only a sketchiest idea as to why they are there; they all seem rather harmless.There is no mention of drugs. Even in the early 60s, drugs would have played a part in treatment. Also absent is any mention of sex which would have to be a major consideration in dealing with late teens, emotionally disturbed or not.We are left with the idea that things end on an upbeat note, however unrealistic. But, upon further thought, what is the future of David's relationship with Lisa? One cannot be optimistic about a sexual relationship - neither would be capable of caring for a child. And, if David is so afraid of simply being touched, there is going to be a long road ahead to any kind of sexual contact, let alone a satisfying relationship. And introducing sex into the mix of Lisa's problems is not going to simplify anything for her. Dr. Swinford is going to have to be more than a friend to deal with that situation. David's obsession with clocks and time leads to a moment of great prescience. It is his secret dream to have a master clock that sends out radio signals so that all clocks can be synchronized and everyone can have the exact time. Interestingly this foreshadows the existence of the atomic clock at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the existence of "atomic watches" several decades later.While it is admirable that this movie tackles the important topic of mental health in an era when such was not common, it would have been a more valuable exercise if it had gone deeper.

"The Miarcle Worker", "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "David and Lisa", arrived in theaters in the same season and all black and white, all intense, human stories...that influenced me to dedicate my life to becoming a "wounded Healer". This little film, hit me hard, by first confronting my own demons, my family of origin, the dry 1950's in the Mid West Kansas prairie. Not like the "Snake Pit", this exploration of mental illness, was warmer, more understandable and approachable with the human heart. Meinger's Clinic was nearby in Topeka, Kansas, and they were doing the best clinical work in the world to date.The movie theater was our only source of connection with the outside world emotionally. Yes, radio and later TV, just one channel CBS, brought to our living rooms, words, pictures and ideas, some painful some joyous.A small Kansas wheat farming community can be a "closed information system", that is thrown into conflict, by new ideas about humanity, God, the larger World out there.We were "shaped" emotionally more by film than TV or Radio. Cinema Scope presented a window on the world, in sound and images 60x our physical being and we were enmeshed on many psychological levels by film. That is the power of film, especially in a theater with other people.James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, in "Giant", Kim Novak and William Holden, in "Picnic", made down the road from our town, were only the tip of the iceberg. "Best Years of Our Lives" and "Since You Went Away", were more than just images on the silver screen in a dark movie theater....that was 'US' up there, that was our story, our lives. We were "known, validated perhaps" by these images.We were "defined" by fashion, haircuts, musicals, songs, dance, social conflict and reminded us of our humanity, the HUMAN COMEDY, that we lived in our local patterns, in our own words and behaviors.I later became a "theater major" at the University of Colorado. Theater helped me understand human behavior, human motivation and the human masks of tragedy and comedy. Sports were important for character and physical glory and the Olympics, But Theater showed "why" the hero, the villain, the plots enriched our daily emotions.Psychology was a dimension of theater. "David and Lisa", I was like them "both" in my way and was led to explore my own shadow and my teenage demons. Like "Rebel Without a Cause" we found these films to be therapeutic and healing on many levels. Walt Disney had lied to us and westerns no longer held my interests. As a teenager my hormones were creating a new me, a new sense of personality and the purpose of being alive. I had to "know" who I am and who I am not...for some reason. "Why are we here on the dirt prairie?" No, not "Oklahoma" again? haI never take a client that is "sicker" than I am. ha And felt I should drop out my first year in graduate school, because I saw myself on every page. "I feel I am too sick to be a therapist", I told my professors. They smiled."We are more concerned about students, who never see themselves on any of the pages in the DSM", they added.I have not regretted becoming a therapist and "David and Lisa" helped build the bridge to that island, called the "Unconscious".The cast is perfect. The performances are influenced by the 1950s and like ...'Without a Cause', parents were that emotionally dead to us even then.I am pleased this film has survived and is on DVD. Music is lovely and fits the action, Kier should have been nominated for an Oscar as well as the actor who played "Lisa" can't remember her name. I actually become a close version of the psychiatrist in my way. VSS

This film is a true gem. I get the impression that it just missed being given an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. After all, it did get a nomination for Best Director and usually the two go hand in hand. I also feel that both Keir Dullea and Janet Margolin deserved to be nominated for their acting roles in the top category. The whole thing is sublime and sensitive, handling difficult material in a tender way that seems more European than American. I suppose some might call it contrived and deliberately "artistic" to the point of being obnoxious, but it did not rub me that way. I think it stands the test of time.What is memorable to me is the simple beauty of the film. The black and white cinematography is outstanding. The scenes flow naturally. The camera angles and editing are exact and unobtrusive. The actors are given their chance to provide the motion in the picture, rather than the camera constantly panning around. This allows the viewer to focus on the two lead characters without being distracted.

Very quiet drama about two mentally disturbed people, David (Keir Dullea) and Lisa (Janet Margolin), helping each other out to cure themselves.This was one of the art films of the early 60s---it was made independently, shot in stark black & white, has threadbare sets, poor lighting and lousy sound. Still, this was a big hit. It was a very sensitively handled movie of a then touchy subject (mental illness). And Dullea gives an excellent performance as David. Margolin is also good as Lisa. This movie was supposed to "make" both of them--sadly, it didn't.It's all well done but I can't say I liked it. There's absolutely no edge to the story or characters at all. This movie goes out of its way to make sure it won't offend anyone and, unfortunately, this makes for a very dull movie. Still, for its time, this was groundbreaking. Worth seeing for the acting alone.Hard to believe that director Frank Perry later on made the camp classics "Mommie Dearest" and "Monsignor"!