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.
