Did You Used to Be R.D. Laing?

Did You Used to Be R D Laing? frames a solo performance that centers on Ronald David Laing, the ever controversial Scottish psychiatrist, without attempting a straight impersonation. The piece follows a Scottish actor as he probes Laing’s ideas and life from the vantage of a warm, unnamed admirer who claims to have just stepped out of Laing’s funeral in 1989. Through concise monologue and reflective narration, the show seeks to understand the man behind the theories and how his work unsettled conventional views of sanity. The approach blends biography with speculative conversation and employs spare staging, indirect dialogue, and occasional archival snippets to invite memory to collide with myth, and fragments of dialogue punctuate the silence for thoughtful viewers.

Released as a television drama in 1989, the film was directed by Kirk Tougas, Tom Shandel and Andrew Feldmar, drawing on a stage solo piece to explore Laing's life and ideas in a concise, intimate format for thoughtful viewers worldwide.

Box office data is not applicable because this title was released as a television movie rather than a theatrical feature, so there is no worldwide gross to report, and it reached audiences through broadcast channels that aired in several countries.

There are no widely documented nominations or wins attached to this project. It reads more as an experimental portrait of Laing than a prize contender, prioritizing perception and analysis over ceremony, a choice that invites debate rather than accolades. It is cited in studies of experimental documentary and performance art.

Critical discussion tends to frame the film as a thoughtful look at memory and belief rather than a traditional biography. It invites viewers to weigh Laing's provocative ideas against his public image and considers how fame shapes his lasting influence in cultural conversations. This adds nuance for thoughtful viewers everywhere.