As part of NCP's exhibition Homelessness in LA: Art, Poetry and Music 

Stuart Perlman, PhD, psychologist and psychoanalyst, presents his documentary Struggle in Paradise, which takes you into his journey painting 230 portraits of homeless people who are living and dying on the streets of Los Angeles. He interviews them for hours and helps people tell their deeply moving stories. Most are followed up years later to see what happened to them. The long-term effects of trauma are illustrated in the lives of these people experiencing homelessness.

Struggle in Paradise has won numerous awards, including "Best Movie of the Year Award" from the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis, "Best Documentary" at the Pasadena International Film Festival, and the “Honorable Mention Award” at the American Psychology Association’s Film Festival.

Dr. Perlman will give a presentation of the film, and the screening will be followed by a Q & A session. His paintings on the subject of homelessness will also be on exhibition.

Artist:

Stuart Perlman, PhD, has been a psychologist/psychoanalyst in Los Angeles for 40 years. He has published extensively, including his books The Therapist’s Emotional Survival and Struggle in Paradise (about homeless individuals, featuring moving oil portraits and their stories). Dr. Perlman won the Los Angeles County Psychological Association’s Social Justice Award and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ award for his work on behalf of homeless people. This project has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian (London), Taipei Times (Taiwan), Vanity Fair Italia and Jewish Journal. 

Target audience: Mental health professionals, the public interested in psychoanalytic perspectives, and all those interested in understanding the plight of people experiencing homelessness, living and dying on the streets.

This is a free community outreach event and open to all members and guests. Please note that Continuing Education credits are not being offered for this film.