I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977)

A young woman who suffers from delusions winds up in a mental institution after a suicide attempt. The film feels realistic, though I’m not sure how accurate it is toward her particular illness or mental hospitals. I found the depictions of her fantasy world particularly effective. Kathleen Quinlan as the woman gives an impressive performance, conveying so many of the emotions from hopelessness to anger to despair. Now that I’ve seen many of her earlier films, I enjoy seeing Sylvia Sidney’s gravelly voiced old broad roles which are a stark comparison to her big eyed, soft faced love interest of the 1930s.

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium