Faultless study of Mental Care in 60's America

Rating: 10/10 (2 April 2020)

It is not often I feel I must give 10/10 for a movie, but this is one film I think anybody would be happy to make an exception for. It has gained much by its imaginative casting: Ryder as the new patient with Borderline depression; Jolie as a long time sufferer; Goldberg as the sympathetic but strict care home employee who tries to guide Ryder out of her psychosis.
Of course Jolie steals the show as a long time sufferer who bosses all the inmates including new girl Ryder, and she looks and acts like a true mad woman. Ryder is tempted to indulge her borderline psychosis until a terrible tragedy reshapes her perception of the care home and its inmates. What makes the movie ultimately so touching is the wonderful bond between all the girls who have very different mental health issues, and it many ways this film is completely relevant to the issues of today when mental health is becoming a huge worry for countries everywhere.
Pacing, camera work and scripting are all first rate with no weak links anywhere. No wonder it picked up so many well deserved awards.