Beyond Diagnosis: Representing the Hotline in The Slender Thread

Revisiting the little-noted 1965 film, The Slender Thread, this article argues that its representation of the suicide hotline constellates midcentury anxieties concerning psychiatric care, race, and gender. The Slender Thread provides a story of the suicide hotline at an early crossroads in the history of the suicide hotline as it turned . . . toward cure and the carceral while gloving that power within the protocol of this radical care.This is the Poitier Effect: Black fury is and must be sublated into Black care to bypass revolutionary action and insurrection.

Automated summary

By revisiting the lesser-known film "The Slender Thread" from 1965, this article argues that its portrayal of the suicide hotline reflects concerns about psychiatric care, race, and gender during the mid-20th century. The film depicts a critical moment in the history of suicide hotlines, when the focus shifted towards treatment and punishment while attempting to maintain the appearance of supportive care. This is described as the "Poitier Effect", where Black anger is transformed into Black care to avoid revolutionary action and uprising.