Broken Diamonds

This was an excellent film. I wasn't expecting much from it... Staying in a hotel and am at the mercy of cable, and this movie happened to have just started so, I gave it a shot. I'm happy I did. The sister is absolutely unlikable at times... Most times, really. She has Schizophrenia, and between it and the meds, she is all over the place. You can see where her brother is coming from in his frustration with her, as his entire life has revolved around her Illness, and his needs and accomplishments always took a back seat to it. I never really felt he was overly selfish at any point, like another review claimed. He had big plans and was trying everything to prevent them from becoming derailed by his sister and her Illness, and he sees those efforts failing. He blames her for missing out on a lot throughout his life. Through all of it, he is given insight by others and learns his sister, despite her Illness, has always taken an interest in him. He, on the other hand, did his best to not share that she existed, and he reflects on that. It's a pretty powerful film, and seems very real. People suffering from this would be hard to like, if you weren't able to grasp that most the unlikable aspects of them were really the illness leading them. It gives a great outside view of what it's like for those living with someone with this illness, as well as those living with the illness themselves. Although, I've never been in the situation, so I can't speak to it's accuracy... But, it feels very real. It's worth a watch. I feel a gained perspective, and I enjoyed the movie while doing so.

Scott (Ben Platt) is set to leave his life behind to write his novel and move to Paris. After his father's death, he and his troubled older sister Cindy (Lola Kirke) inherit the family home. He intends to sell it but needs her approval. She's struggling with terrible mental illness and he has struggled with it for most of his life. This is a difficult watch. Scott can seem selfish and pathetic but it's actually quite understandable. This is a sincere effort. Its sincerity can also be off-putting. It's just a tough watch. It gets frustrating at times. In a way, that has a realism in itself.

It's a very realistic story of how a loved one with mental illness, how it effects of all the family members. Lola K. Did an incredible job as Cindy, the person with mental illness. Her brother has been affected by the issues it brought to their family, often feeling left behind, with no support in his needs as he grew up, complicated relationship with his older sister. Very moving story. Mental health is not talked about or discussed much in our society, glad this shows some of one families story.

The movie (not 'film') isn't BAD, but there's nothing here to recommend it. There is nothing unexpected; the acting is very 'acterly', the writing is pedestrian, and the directing is a cross between film school aspirant and wannabe indie. This may resonate with some people whose lives are touched by mental health problems, particularly those of a relative. But, the issues reside on a continuum, and the continuum is very broad & very long. The depiction in this little movie is one fictionalized account. I doubt the objectives of this movie include being a banner for mental health issue advocacy, per se, and it shouldn't be celebrated as such. There's no nuance or subtlety here; everything is obvious & superficial. The sister is flat out unlikeable - irredeemably so. The brother is codependent roadkill for her, except he keeps getting run over again and again. There are some drips of backstory that, I think, are the writer's attempt to mitigate the selfishness & toxicity of the sister. But, there is no softening of he destructive & selfish impact & nature. She does not learn does not get better, which adds to the pervasive frustration for viewers of the brother's futile codependent attempts to control the chaos. We see him fumble away opportunity, as feint as it is, for no good reason. One take away could be to know when enough is enough. He is not - can not - help her. It serves no good to ruin his own life; he's no good to anyone, if he doesn't take of himself. Again, as a movie, it's maybe good undergrad wanna go to film school but still considering Social Work school.

I hated the mentally ill sister INSTANTLY! The poor brother was overwhelmed by this psychotic TORNADO of a sister! SO GLAD I did not pay to see this mish mash of a movie!

This is a pretty clear eyed story on what mental illness does to a family. The fall out from any serious illness that befalls a family can reverberate for decades, especially if the sick person is young when the sickness manifests itself. There is a lot of blame, helplessness, acting out and sheer heartbreak that is visited on the other family members. Its hell. This film encapsulates a lot of that in a short 90 minutes. This film wont fix anything, if you have a family member that is suffering with anything terminal or chronic, this film wont help them. But it will make you feel less alone about what the real cost is of having that in your life. This is a meagre palliative, but it is something. The acting is amazing and the film has GREAT HEART.