This is a beautiful, tragic documentary film directed by the actress Sandrine Bonnaire. It uses home movie footage of her sister Sabine along with footage made when Sabine was a resident of a group home for people with serious psychiatric and neurological disabilities. The contrast between the images of the hauntingly beautiful adolescent Sabine and the obese, drooling, anxiety ridden and occasionally violent woman that her sister found after her five years residence in a psychiatric hospital is profoundly moving. The film also answers a question that I have had for years since seeing Sandrine Bonnaire in the Agnes Varda film Vagabond. I wondered how Bonnaire had 'found' the hauntingly beautiful character she plays. Her Name is Sabine certainly gives a clue to an answer to that question.
I should add that Sabine is described in publicity for the film as 'autistic.' As I recall, someone who I took to be a psychiatrist in the film describes her as a 'psychoinfantile character with autistic features.' [I may not remember this exactly] While I thought that schizophrenia was a reasonable diagnosis for Sabine [especially as she seems to be receiving clozapine treatment], I found it interesting that schizophrenia is not mentioned in the film. I wondered if this was due to stigma or diagnostic peculiarities in France.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
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she doesnt look schizophrenic to me, more, as sandrine said in her narration, autistic witk some anxiety, mood and impulse control diagnosises. wonder how she was before the clozaril, how she did on other antipsychotics, mood stabilizers etc. of course what do i know? i am not, was not there. im just aware that someone can become psychotic from multiple causes other than schizophrenia. that she was probably snowed in the institution for 5 years, almost certainly developed td there from meds used maybe more for their side effects than main effects in an effort to control her behavior. what happened to sabine there? what changes occured that she became too aggressive at home at age 27 or was it a gradual change? did it have to be that way?
ReplyDeleteyes it is so sad, the contrast between the two sabines. it seems she lost herself in the institution, the younger sabine, while troubled, had something for herself that she developed and valued, then 5 years later it was gone. it breaks my heart to see that.
but you know, there are a lot of things we arent told, maybe dont think to ask in this gripping film. i loved it when sandrine without hesitation, went to the man's side when he was seizing and did the only thing to do and no more. she doesnt mind getting her hands dirty. i can only imagine the regrets and guilt that she might harbor. and while it is easy to condemn the psychiatric system anywhere, the intentions of sabine's family and the institution were good in a world that hasnt valued people with psychiatric illness for centuries. the village idiot may have been tormented by the villagers, but he was protected from outsiders too. for centuries now, they have been placed out of sight of the view of us 'normal ' folk.
there is so much to say about what this film evokes in us, too much really. so thank you sandrine, sabine, the other residents, the staff and others, for giving me something so powerful and unforgettable. thank you. we all have the best of intentions and things just turn out how they do.