KEIR DULLEA and JANET MARGOLIN are a couple of youngsters needing guidance because of their mental illness and finding inspiration in each other to help them confront the issues bothering them. HOWARD da SILVA gets away from his usual villainous role to play a sympathetic psychiatrist at the asylum.
An independent film, it's a sensitive treatment of the subject matter without resorting to clichés or attaching a happy ending that would suggest a complete cure. Frank Perry's direction gives the film an almost semi-documentary look.
The story is almost too simple to sustain its feature length and there are moments that drag interminably while we watch Margolin display all her odd mannerisms. Dullea remains rigidly trapped inside his own personality and almost looks like a robot at times. Howard da Silva is the picture of laid-back patience as a psychiatrist who has to contend with Dullea's obstinate behavior and unwillingness to be touched by anyone.
The tender final scene outside a museum is a nice way to end the story, showing that both Margolin and Dullea are about to take steps that may lead to some sort of recovery.
An independent film, it's a sensitive treatment of the subject matter without resorting to clichés or attaching a happy ending that would suggest a complete cure. Frank Perry's direction gives the film an almost semi-documentary look.
The story is almost too simple to sustain its feature length and there are moments that drag interminably while we watch Margolin display all her odd mannerisms. Dullea remains rigidly trapped inside his own personality and almost looks like a robot at times. Howard da Silva is the picture of laid-back patience as a psychiatrist who has to contend with Dullea's obstinate behavior and unwillingness to be touched by anyone.
The tender final scene outside a museum is a nice way to end the story, showing that both Margolin and Dullea are about to take steps that may lead to some sort of recovery.