BRAIN ON FIRE
US/Ireland, 2016, 88 minutes, Colour.
Chloe Grace Moretz, Thomas Mann, Richard Armitage, Carrie- Anne Moss, Jenny Slate, Tyler Perry, Navid Negahban.
Directed by Gerard Barrett.
This film is based on a true story, a memoir by journalist Susan Cahalan. She is played, most effectively, by Chloe Grace Moretz. Richard Armitage is her father, Carrie- Anne Moss her mother, Jenny Slate the sympathetic co-worker, Tyler Perry her editor, Navid Negahban, her surgeon and Thomas Mann her boyfriend.
The film opens promisingly with Susan’s career but things go askew, a failure in an important interview, her pleading with the editor to extend deadlines. However, she has seizures, hallucinations, eventual hospital treatment but it takes some time to actually diagnose what is wrong with her – her brain on fire.
Her brain disease is considered rare and initially not so detectable. However, the film is valuable in alerting audiences to the consequences of the disease. The film also shows the difficulties parents have in dealing with the daughter and her illness, her erratic behaviour.
The film has a strong cast, the screenplay making the disease comprehensible through the drama and the performances. Directories an Irishman, Gerard Barrett, who also directed Glassland with Toni Collette.
1. The title, the title of the memoir by Susan Cahalan? Indication of the disease?
2. The New York settings, the New York Post, the officers, apartments, clubs, homes, hospitals, interview rooms, surgical procedures? The musical score?
3. The true story, Susan Cahalan, her experiences, her seemingly psychotic behaviour, the response of her parents, of Stephen, the interviews and the scans, the psychiatrists? The specialist doctor, his visits, therapy and diagnosis? Recovery?
4. Chloe Grace Moretz and Susanna? Age, family background, divorced parents and her mother remarried, her father and new fiancee? Her studies? Her relationship with Stephen, his music, the visit to her parents, her father’s disapproval? Her going to listen to him at the club? Her work at the New York Post, friendship with Margot, support from her? Richard and his assigning jobs? Expectations?
5. The visuals to indicate that something was wrong, her losing consciousness, the seizures, the blurred images, erratic behaviour? Her poor work, Margot trying to help, Richard and his demands? Her seizure, Stephen taking her to the hospital, her father is angry reaction, her mother support, apology? The interviews, the MRI, the doctors and their bewilderment, her physical condition? Another seizure? Her erratic behaviour in the office, the episode of her interview with the senator, her poor writing, losing sense of time and days, highs and lows, her googling bipolar illness and the symptoms, the doctor and the medication? Her not wanting to take the medication? Her final collapse, the range of doctors and interviews, the possibility of schizophrenia?
6. The doctors, their expertise, limits, the diagnosis of her being healthy? The pressure from the father, the mother’s presence, Stephen at the hospital?
7. The sympathetic doctor, her going to the lecture, the lecturer and his teaching rather than practice, her persuading him to come, the interviews, his treatment of this Susanna, speculation, the biopsy, the diagnosis, the treatment? The device of drawing the clock and the lack of balance between left brain and right brain, the numbers on the clock on one side? The diagnosis that the immune system was attacking the brain, brain on fire?
8. Her recovery, Margot’s sad visit to the hospital, her being reinstated, Richard and his support? Her writing the memoir – and the final information, statistics, the diagnosis, help to others, physical ailments rather than psychotic states?
