Brain on Fire

Not everyone will like his movie. No sex or nudity. No action. I remember no profanity. It's a medical mystery. It doesn't rush anything. It just tells the story. The cast was very good. It's a different film, but it's definitely worth the time to watch.

I wish there were more movies on the subject of mental illness, the way these incurable illnesses destroys your life, the lives of family, loved ones, and friends.

Unlike my life, this movie does have a happy ending. These illnesses are misunderstood, bring fear to many, and in most cases considered Taboo to discuss.

Chloe does an amazing performance at portraying the highs (manic) and lows (depressive) of Bipolar. The uncontrollable paranoia, voices and visions associated with schizophrenia. The feelings of being alone, the emptiness and worthlessness.

I was first diagnosed in 2010 and have lost my career, respect of my peers, my friends and even lost my 22 year old Son and 21 year old Daughter (they think I am 'crazy', they are ashamed of who I have become, and refuse to educate themselves on this terrible subject). They have now moved two states away and tell everyone that I died in an accident.

For those of us afflicted with mental illness... we did not do anything wrong or horrible to be this way. It's just the way we were born. Chemical imbalances in our brain... not from sin, drugs, drinking, or smoking

I implore all of you to watch this amazing story that will pull on your heart strings and create a very powerful compassion that you never knew existed.

One piece of advice before watching... for many of you, have your tissues ready... I cried my way through every minute.

When I looked up this movie at first I was skeptical, due to the reviews on this website..... Boy were they wrong ! This is a hell of a movie, the acting is superb. During this movie I got so angry at the doctors, because this is how that world really works. Not only is it based on actual events, it highlights all that is wrong in the medical world today. The movie is enlightening to say the least. Watch this movie and make up your own mind! Don't always look at reviews, as clearly they can be dead wrong!

Susannah Cahalan (Chloë Grace Moretz) is 21 with a dream job as a New York Post reporter. Stephen Grywalski is her musician boyfriend. Her father Tom Cahalan (Richard Armitage) and her mother Rhona Nack (Carrie- Anne Moss) are divorced. Fellow reporter Margo (Jenny Slate) is her best friend and Richard (Tyler Perry) is her boss. She starts suffering from strange symptoms but doctors are stymied.

The story is basically a medical mystery Lifetime movie. It has superior actors who are able to bring some life to the material. The story is very straight forward with no surprises and the filmmaking is the same. It leaves the movie with limited potential for tension but the actors with the exception of the boyfriend try their best to elevate the material. There is one scene which surprised me. When she looked into the mirror and can't see her reflection, it occurred to me that the first half of the movie could easily be turned into a horror movie. There is a potential to see this from her point of view and make this a paranoia disturbing vision. That could have injected something original into the first half and allow for a surprise twist in the middle. Otherwise, this is solid if somewhat uninspired filmmaking.

This movie resonates with me. As a parent, I know what it's like to watch the so called medical experts come to incomplete conclusions to proclaim misdiagnoses without considering ALL the facts.