I watch and love a lot of movies so I apologize in advance for the amount of text you are about to be confronted with! Here are 16 that come to mind.
An interesting one to watch would be "Repo! The Genetic Opera" (a musical) particularly for the "Night Surgeon (I remember)" and "Let the Monster Rise" sequences. I don't easily cry but this movie does it every time. Of course, this film may be triggering. It stars Alexa Vega, Anthony Stewart Head, Paris Hilton and Sarah Brightman. The 17-year old main character suffers from a "genetic blood disease" (perhaps a metaphor for family trauma) and lives alone with her father who controls every aspect of her life for fear of losing her. The film explores drug-addiction, vanity, dysfunctional family dynamics, corporate power, greed, and coping with a past that is too much to bear. This movie is full of metaphors and begs to be enjoyed again. Great soundtrack too.
"Black Snake Moan" is another really interesting one. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Timberlake. Christina Ricci's character is plagued by strange attacks of sexual nature. She eventually attempts to confront her mother about the sexual abuse she endured. Christina Ricci: "Well, I think there are millions of women like Rae out there and the link between childhood sexual abuse and promiscuity in women and low self worth and post traumatic stress and low self esteem. That link has been well established. And when I read the script, she was such an honest representation in a way without judgment on that kind of person and I thought, ‘oh, it’s so great to see someone who’s not sugar coated’ because that implies judgment. Then when I started doing more research about survivors of childhood sexual abuse and really understanding and reading testimonials and statistics and really understanding what she would be suffering from and the pain and fears and anxieties that were really her motivating emotions. I just felt so much compassion for her and felt really compelled to kind of protect her by playing her."
An obvious choice would be "Gulliver's Travels", the 1996 two-part made for TV version in which the character lives in the past and present simultaneously and is even committed. I identified with this character a lot for some reason, even as a child.
I highly recommend "Batman Begins".
What about "The Color Purple"? I saw the live musical but not the film version and it seems entirely relevant.
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet) examines what would happen if people could just "erase" all of their bad memories.
And there are always M. Night Shyamalan films. The situation in "The Village" could be seen as a metaphor for compartmentalization. It turns out to have a lot to do with trauma. This is a MUST SEE! "Unbreakable" (Bruce Willis): man deals with being the only survivor of a horrific accident.
Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd" is more than just some graphic musical starring Burton's two favorite actors. This film is all about giving up hope after a trauma. It offers an important lesson about seeking revenge.
"Eye of the Beholder" (Ewan McGregor, Ashley Judd, Patrick Bergin) looks into the motivations of a female serial killer ("Merry Christmas, Daddy!") and the restless mind of a man who seems to have lost his wife and child. Definitely worth watching at least once. Notice how strongly the female lead is affected by her childhood role models and how greatly the professional life of Ewan McGregor's character is compromised by his psychological disturbances.
"The Cell" (Jennifer Lopez) is an obvious pick.
"Prozac Nation" (Christina Ricci, true story) is supposedly about "depression" but it's pretty obvious that the character's problems stem from childhood trauma. There is one hilarious (and sad) sequence in which the main character is lying listless in bed with her mother standing over her all upset and worried. It flashes back to when she was a little girl and her parents were screaming at each other and fighting very badly. Then it flashes back to the present and the mother, standing over her motionless daughter, cigarette in hand, says "What's WRONG with you?" (part 4 on YouTube).
"Girl, Interrupted" (Winona Ryder, true story). Borderline personality disorder - 'nuff said.
"Monster" (Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci) - true story of a female serial killer.
"The Butterfly Effect" (Ashton Kutcher) what if you could change the past? Deals with suicide, guilt, shame, incarcerated parents, sexual abuse, violence ect. Very triggering but definitely captures the feel of CPTSD.
"Forrest Gump" (Tom Hanks) Jenny is molested by her father and becomes a drug addict and suicidal because of it. In one scene she has a breakdown in front of her childhood home.
