Curapedi
I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
Joe Garrick
Let me first note that I read the book before seeing this, so that is an aspect of my review.
The movie, as it was, probably earned a solid eight. Performances by the cast were I suppose not exceptional, but were up to the task. I particularly enjoyed Carrie-Anne Moss as the mom. The always charming Chloë Grace Moretz turned in a workmanlike performance in an extremely challenging role.
For those who don't already know it, the movie is based on the true story of Susannah Cahalan and her harrowing journey to find the cause of her mental breakdowns, seizures, hallucinations, and other symptoms, and the challenges her friends, coworkers, boyfriend, and family have of recognizing her illness and finding the right doctor. Once she reaches Doctor Kahn and, through her, Doctor Najjar, it plays like an episode of House as the medical team struggles to determine the root cause of her trouble, which proves to be an extremely rare and nearly unheard of disease.
I only gave the movie a score of seven because, like House, it basically ends at the point where the correct diagnosis was found and really glosses over all the challenges she still faced recovering from it.
Despite this flaw, it was still well worth the time to watch, and I'd further encourage anyone who has friends or family struggling with unexplained mental illness to not only watch the movie, but read Cahalan's book of the same name. Doctor Najjar's work, in particular, represents the cutting edge of 21st century medicine in this area.