Broken Diamonds

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!

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.

Broken Diamonds follows Scott, an aspiring writer who is planning on moving to Paris to finally write his novel. However, Scott's plans hit a bump in the road when his father passes away, and he finds himself having to take care of his sister, Cindy. Cindy suffers from schizophrenia, and things start to spiral for her when she stops taking her medication. I was pleasantly surprised by this film as I found it moving and heartwarming. Now, don't get me wrong, some scenes are hard to watch, especially if you have a loved one who has suffered from a form of mental illness or memory loss. Lola Kirke did an amazing job portraying Cindy as someone who isn't quite in touch with reality and you just feel bad for her. You know it's not her fault that she does what she does, but it's also incredibly frustrating at times to see her spiral. Yet there is also a deeper kindness to her. Scott, on the other hand, often comes across as insensitive to his sister's illness, but you can really tell this is someone who is just trying to keep his head above water and is often overwhelmed. I also appreciate that this film showed that Scott and his family had been struggling with Cindy for years and that it was not something that had just happened overnight or that was an easy fix to the problem. Ben Platt gave an amazing performance, one of his best to date. I also thought the movie had a great message. The film is about seeing past a person's illness and loving them for who they are. After all, you can't control what affiliates your loved ones, and you can't cure it. But you can choose how you react to it and how you deal with that reality, regardless of what happens.

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.

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.