Mijn woord tegen het mijne

Maasja Ooms The Netherlands 2025 112 min.

One in ten people hears voices from time to time. Some hear just one voice, others hear as many as nineteen. Five people living with this phenomenon start working on it in a therapeutic setting. A psychiatrist — who remains off-screen — engages in conversation not only about their voices, but also with them. A compelling group portrait — of the individuals and of their voices — reflecting the fascinating world of the human mind.

What happens when voices are no longer contested but given space to exist? In a series of intense sessions, a psychiatrist explicitly invites the voices to speak for themselves. The method of psychiatrist Dirk Corstens—who has worked with voice hearers for over thirty years—can be transformative for many. The voices do not reveal themselves easily; much is at stake. In the conversations, traumas surface that are closely intertwined with their origins. Yet director Maasja Ooms focuses less on these stories than on creating a collective portrait that makes the complexity of the human mind tangible.

This documentary was named Best Dutch Film at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.