KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

jadedalex Maybe people really don't want to deal with schizophrenia and mental illness in general. A girl who only talks in rhymes meets a boy who doesn't want to be touched. On paper, it all seems rather silly.But "David and Lisa" was fascinating the first time I saw it, and it remained compelling on my last viewing.The very young Kier Dullea and Janet Margolin turn in poignant performances. Margolin is exceptionally beautiful in her first role. (She was quite lovely years later in Woody Allen's 'Take the Money and Run'.)Each scene is handled well. Howard De Silva gives a wonderfully understated performance as Dullea's doctor.This sort of material can easily be mishandled, and the results may be hokey or even laugh-inducing. But I didn't find a wrong note. (If I were to nitpick, I could say that the script made David's mother a bit too mean-spirited, and his father too sympathetic. But it's a minor point.)The scene where the troubled youngsters start yelling at the family at the station recalls (maybe not so oddly enough), the Todd Browning film 'Freaks'. This scene perhaps captures the spirit of Browning's 'Freaks' better than Todd's heavy-handed horror film did.This may be Kier Dullea's best performance. His eyes betray the arrogance and terror that the young man feels.It certainly is not an upbeat movie; this is probably one reason moviegoers did not warm up to it, although at the time of its release, "David and Lisa" was critically acclaimed. The black and white photography is perfect for the documentary style of the film. This movie remains a fine piece of work. Apparently, it also helped to boost the appeal of independent films, which was a good thing, as Hollywood could not always be trusted to go anywhere near films like this.

Doug Galecawitz Fruedian psychology must have been real real popular in the early sixties. Between Psycho, The Manchurian Candidate, Dr Straelove, and this dime store matriarchal film making seem to hit a cheesy crescendo. Why? This seems to be an interesting enough premise for a movie, but (at least in today's standards) seems meek and unwilling to commit itself to anything more than skipping along the surface of it's quirky characters. Plenty of interesting elements lurk right beneath the surface, but in this heavy handed melodramatic bird's stool, it falls flat.The movie does serve as an oddity (or perfect example) of lazy film making, perhaps because of budget. Every scene is repetitive. The movie follows so closely to the idea of one set set-up, establishment, and fade out, that it seems less and less like a movie and more and more like a series of scenes. To a modern audience it should seem striking. Quick cuts, and lead in being today's norms.5 out of 10, not bad, but Jimmy Stewart in Harvey is less of a waste of time.........

preppy-3 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"!

michaelmilligan Janet Margolin as Lisa was not only beautiful, but her smile, as another commenter stated, "could light up the darkest room." It's true. She was very likable. While David wasn't "likable", he played his part very well, and became more sympathetic as the movie went on. This is one of those movies that is much better than you thought it might be. I loved it.I also think the storyline was very well done. It kept you engrossed. The doctor was very meek in the best sense of the word - not responding to provocation by David in the least.David's outbursts when touched were moving and very realistic - you believed he felt that way.Lisa, frumpy dress, messy hair and all, was astonishingly beautiful in my eyes, and acted out her part perfectly.All in all, I would watch the movie again. It's that good.