Six Schizophrenic Brothers

I'm not sure why there were so many negative reviews. I had no expectations going into it and that's probably why I really enjoyed the documentary and found the story engrossing and intriguing. If you go into it thinking there will be answers and it will be neatly tied up at the end, you won't get that. This documentary reflects real life... Messy and frequently you're left with more questions than answers.

The story of the family is paced well and gives a well rounded understanding from the start as it takes you through the heartbreaking decline and breaking apart of a beautiful and idyllic family life. The trauma this family experienced is horrendous and I found the story telling from those both with and without schizophrenia to be particularly interesting. Very well put together.

I found myself furious at some of the siblings, but in a family where trauma, emotional distancing and mental illness has been an issue, it really makes sense how divided and distant the siblings are and the various perspectives based on how they coped with all the madness. I found the ending particularly interesting with Mary's kids.

If you are interested in mental illness and the way it deeply effects and damages families, and are not thinking you will receive answers, than I think you will truly enjoy this documentary. Only negative was the editing that was poorly done with each episode cutting off with the streaming. You miss the the last minute of every episode.

The story is very fascinating, but the storytelling is weak confusing. The interviewer was not asking the obvious good questions.

The repetition of info was maddening. I swear they say the same thing like 5-6 times sometimes. The editing could have saved a lot of time for viewers. But I guess they stretch it out to make more money or something.

The attempt at drama, with showing each son's picture breaking was tacky. Not a lot more to say other than if you can ignore the general production, you'll be OK, which is why I didn give it a lower rating.

Not sure if the director is the editor and the producer or what, but it seems amateurish. It shows that almost anyone can do this work now, since the audience no longer seems to care. AI would do it about this good.

It's a shame that mental health is still such a stigma and society. It is one of the reasons that our jails are completely full because this country has not learned how to deal with mental health. I think these documentaries are important, and should continue as it relates to how it affects a family. I cannot believe a reviewer that blames the parents, when six of their children out of 12 have schizophrenia. This is a very serious disease of the mind. We also know that it is hereditary. My father was schizophrenic and luckily I'm not, but I continue to advocate for mental health while keeping a close eye on my daughter.

This is not a bad documentary. And one must remember that this is the late 60s in early 70s when a ton of mental institutions were being closed because medication was supposed to be the savior. Unless you have dealt with someone in your family, let alone six in your immediate family deal with this horrible disease. You should not comment on here and point fingers. It's heartbreaking, but these stories need to be told!

I've been involved in psychology in some form for over 35 years, from my days as a psych major and grad student, working in direct care, and teaching AP Psychology in high school for decades. I have never heard of a single family so stricken by this cruelest of conditions, so the title alone intrigued me.

The story of an exceedingly large Irish-Catholic family, with 20 years separating the oldest and youngest of 12 kids, 10 boys, followed by 2 girls. Six of the boys developed schizophrenia, most fairly severely.

Lots of interviews with most of the non-schizophrenia siblings, giving a fairly detailed picture of family life. But despite having the legendary Dr. Daniel Weinberger as one of the main experts, the filmmakers used him too sparingly and without the depth he could have added. For a documentary about a disorder that can have such heterogenous clinical presentations - and a three-hour one, at that! - there was precious little information about the symptoms of the disorder aside from hallucinations and delusions.

The story of Galvin family is fascinating, but with a broader perspective on schizophrenia, I feel like this was a lost opportunity to educate the public.

One star off for the random commercials and the abrupt ending, otherwise this was an excellent documentary. I had a hard time getting into it at first, but found episode 4 seriously interesting. Bless Mary for not giving up on her brothers! That woman will be sainted. Especially as a sexual abuse survivor who came out of the experience strong. I truly hope the best for her son and hope he can live a mentally healthy life. It's too bad the brothers instigating the abuse weren't taken out of the home as soon as the violence began so those without schizophrenia could've had a more peaceful upbringing (not pointing fingers at anyone because I wasn't there to understand the full situation). This poor family...I cannot imagine what it must've been like in that house.