But there is still a very interesting movie in here with a number of memorable sequences.

The movie is about our protagonist, who to our understanding, is a teenaged girl, who apparently either hallucinates about some bizarre fantasy world (and not in a fun Terry Gilliam way but a seriously bizarre "why would she even consider this superior way?") or merely is in fantasy about it in escaping from reality, it's not explained. It begins as she goes to a mental hospital in the countryside it looks and almost immediately our main character inexplicably stabs herself and gets thrown in a disturbed section as opposed to the initial summer camp section. It is here, where our story follows the rest of the film, a series of up and down spirals and looks at her interactions with the other patients.

The thing about all of this is we never actually get to understand the characters at all. We are never told what they're about, why they feel this way, what their backgrounds are, and why they do what they what they do. They just are, and throughout the whole piece the audience feels like with any of the characters, it never surpasses the point of acquaintment because even, if the characters be developed, they were never characterized in the first place, so it's irrelevant. At the same time, though the movie certainly to its benefit explores the setting and situation in a very visceral way, by the movie's end, everything feels oversaturated, because it feels as though we have spent such time in this setting watching similar things with people that don't really mean much for so long that it just starts to wear thin. When the film end, we aren't really sure why the events have turned out as they did, because we aren't really sure why they were the other way in the first place. It just feels like a breath of fresh air to get a new sense of scenery.

The thing is, though, despite that, the movie is still successful probably because the happenings themselves are rather interesting, the unflinching portrayal has the power to captivate, and there is claustrophobic intensity to the asylum as well as a general heterosexual male (being the viewer) to recessive female women appeal, which really adds a type of close-knit feel with the characters.

So, it's not the most satisfying nor the most well-devised film of its genre out there, but if you be a fan of asylum films, this is definitely worth checking out. I also must note that out of all the mental hospital films out there, this is probably the most intense. This movie is 100% serious and very frightening and unsettling. There's no comedy nor light-heart in this movie. The tone is closer to a horror film (despite that it is a pure dramatic realism) than it is to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. From that perspective this film is actually very unique.

If you're watching this on DVD or streaming it and you fall asleep or just get distracted, you may be tempted to go back to see what you missed, and trust me, you don't want to have to do that. This film can send you into severe depression as you hear the voices and view the schizophrenia in Deborah (Kathleen Quinlan), a young woman sent into a women's mental institution for treatment after she has a severe breakdown. There, she witnesses the mistreatment of patients, is a victim of violence by other patients and eventually becomes exactly like them.

Psychiatrist Bibi Andersson tries to get to the source of Deborah's problems, and you wonder if she knows what's going on with the orderlies. One in particular is very violent, striking patients across the chase while trying to take their pulse. The patients will break into song and dance at one moment and attack another violently at another, that is when they're not trying to kiss other patients against their will. Through the growing friendships with certain patients, Deborah starts to come out of her shell, particularly thanks to an older woman, a former geometry teacher, played by the legendary Sylvia Sidney who of course commands every moment that she is on screen..

There's also Susan Tyrell who will break into song and dance (joined at one point by Nancy Parsons of "Porky's" fame) and a variety of other types of patience, having different reactions to the things going on around them. There are no two alike, and the situation becomes very scary at times. Deborah has definition voices, and those voices are very scary and threatening and powerful and manipulating. The visuals that go along with those voices are just as frightening as well. It comes a monster movie of another sort, and not the type that you're used to seeing in a Roger Corman movie.

The stars of this film are Quinlan and the script, but the pace is sometimes frustrating and the subject matter is extremely disturbing. Quinlan is excellent, and it's a shame that she did not go on to bigger things after this. She's worked a lot since this but the promise that was shown as a rising star in the mid-70's didn't move her down the path along with the rising dramatic actresses. Andersson is very subtle in her performance, and her appearance makes me want to see her Swedish language films (many directed by Ingmar Bergman) where she seemed to be second choice to former co-star and real-life friend Liv Ullman.

My overall thought about this film based upon its general synopsis is seemingly depressing, but at times, the patients do make you laugh, and it's not in a way that you should feel guilty about. The things that they say and do are just funny because they are honest and not hiding their general feelings. But it is a serious subject, and fortunately, there is no snake pit or rubber room or seeming straitjackets although some of the patients are belted to their beds which is just as bad. 1977 was a terrific year for leading actresses, and Quinlan is certainly on the short list for deserving actors who didn't get an Oscar nomination.