One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest pits a criminal (Jack Nicholson), who ends up in a psychiatric hospital, against a tyrannical head nurse (Louise Fletcher). It bravely shows the brutal treatment of those deemed "mentally ill" by people in positions of power, but it also humanizes the patients in a way cinema should have years prior. Adapted from Ken Kesey's 1962 novel of the same name, the drama scored five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (Milos Forman) and wins in the lead acting categories for Nicholson and Fletcher.