An Impeccably Made Film about Repression by Authorities

Rating: 8/10 (9 November 2015)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 drama film by Milos Forman about the inmates in a mental institution and their struggles against the nurse in charge.
The film portrays the impact of the arrival of a new patient at the ward of a mental institution run with an iron fist by authoritarian Nurse Ratchet. Ratchet maintains control over all aspects of the patient's lives by whatever means necessary, intimidation, humiliation, and rigged competitions being common techniques. A rebel attempting to escape the labour of a short prison sentence, RP McMurphy finds the patients being oppressed by the authorities in the institution. Being an anti-establishment type, he continuously butts heads with Nurse Ratchet, and the struggle for the autonomy of the patients escalates.
The film is shot in a clear, straightforward, and compelling manner, eschewing complicated cinematography for clarity and simplicity. This manner of filming allows the characters to be the focus of the scenes, and the actors take full advantage of this. Nicholson and Fletcher are perfect in their roles, and their scenes together make for some of the best drama in film.
An excellent story whose style accentuates the strengths of the film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is not to be missed.