Démons intérieurs

This was a four hour TV movie, in which I expected insight into the human mind and child abuse. Instead, three and a half hours are devoted to things not even in the book. See our protagonist fight with her husband! See her fly on a plane! See her sell real estate! Finally, the movie gives sort of lip service to the book, but that's not really the important part.

Do not waste four hours of your life on this movie.

Fisrstly let me start by saying My partner has MPD, or D.I.D(dissociative identity disorder) as it is now known. Shelly Long's portrayal of Truddi Chase was excellent. Her ability to portray the 'switches' associated with this condition was spot on. I see it daily in my own partner, and Shelly Long nailed this performance with brilliant acting. Unfortunately some people don't believe this condition exists, but i can tell you it is true and to live with someone who suffers this disorder is a nightmare in itself.To see the agony and torment they go thru just to 'function' on a daily basis is enough to tear your heart out. Excellent movie, brilliantly acted and the actions of her Doctor played by Tom Conti was excellent and well done. 10/10, 5 stars.

TV-made adaptation of the autobiography "When Rabbit Howls: by the Troops for Truddi Chase", chronicling Chase's diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder. A commercial artist who married her boss and had one daughter, Chase was haunted by the sexual and psychological abuse afflicted on her as a child by her stepfather. The different personalities she later manifested--her "troops"--soon began interrupting her life so frequently that it ruined her marriage and drove Chase to a therapist. Overextended, lumpy drama preconceived as an acting tour-de-force for its leading lady, however Shelley Long is too calculating as an actress to be convincing as a woman with a serious, frightening mental disorder (and it's her performance that has to carry this project a long way). Too often, Long just seems snippy--in a rotten mood--talking in different rhythms with different accents. Tom Conti is a welcome addition in the film's second half as Truddi's doctor, but other supporting performances are weak. Lamont Johnson's direction is equally mediocre; he mounts the past-and-present proceedings well enough, but allows scenes such as the young Truddi being chased around the farm by her leering stepfather to go on forever (he also gets docked a star for a quite unnecessary baby photo slide-show). Interesting subject matter has been explored more successfully before, yet there is a certain amount of fascination with a topic like this, if one is able to find the heart of the piece amongst the false histrionics.

Shelley Long is brilliant starring as Truddi Chase in this fact-based TV movie. Long's wide range of talent shows full force as she enacts every incident and nails each personality's character with such seamless grace, as if she herself was Truddi Chase. Co-star Alan Fudge captures his role well as Truddi's husband.

I have never seen such a credible, factual movie created so in sync (almost word for word) with the book which it was based on, "When Rabbit Howls", written by Truddi Chase.

Directed by Lamont Johnson, each scene guides the viewers through Truddi's life, with narrated childhood memories, accurately depicting her life's experiences without overwhelming violence. Clever ending shows Truddi's triumph over her stepfather's criminal abuse of her. Well done!

I would watch this movie over and over again...I used to have it on tape. I didn't realize it was taken from a book, but unlike other viewer comments, I did gain much insight into the human experience. I felt Shelley Long gave the performance of her career and should have won (or at least been nominated) for some award.