This is a movie that really impressed me with how much it is able to draw you in, make you relate with the characters and shock you with the psychological elements of it. Although the validity of the diagnosis of Multiple Personalities and Repressed Memories are still subject of debate, and until this day a lot of controversy exists over the book (apparently most of it was fabricated, specially the part of multiple personalities, which was mostly the result of suggestion by Dr. Wilbur to make things more interesting and monetize over the story), this is a very involving movie, with incredible acting and that dated very well. Kudos for Sally Field and her amazing rendition of a psychiatric patient, and also for Joanne Woodward and Brad Davis, and their respective moving performances as Dr. Wilbur and Sybil's neighbor.
This was initially made for TV, shown in 2 parts and having a total run of 3 hours. I strongly recommend that you get the DVD with the whole 198 minutes (I didn't see the abridged version). The cuts for commercial breaks show, but they won't bother you too much. It's very well directed and edited for its time, and everyone's acting is incredible.
Some people say that this movie was a breakthrough in treatment of Multiple Personalities (called DID nowadays, which stands for Dissociative Identity Disorder), while others blame it for the creation of an "industry of Repressed Memories". I strongly advise that you do your research about it, so you'll be aware of the controversy and the lack of consensus that those themes still face between professionals of the area (if you're interested about my opinion, I'm very suspicious about repressed memories, and it surely sounds to me like something that could be used to take advantage of people, but I don't have an opinion about DID, although it is said to be one of the most controversial dissociative disorders). However, do it AFTER seeing this movie, so it won't impair your ability to relate with the character of Sybil and prevent you from enjoying the movie. There are some really shocking things that will happen, so be prepared. The plot unravels very nicely, and it also treats the relationships between the characters very delicately, so the film never feels hushed and, although its running time is long, this is not boring or hard to digest, and it's a really enjoyable experience. Definitely worth the watch.
Rating: 7,5/10 (I round ratings down)
This was initially made for TV, shown in 2 parts and having a total run of 3 hours. I strongly recommend that you get the DVD with the whole 198 minutes (I didn't see the abridged version). The cuts for commercial breaks show, but they won't bother you too much. It's very well directed and edited for its time, and everyone's acting is incredible.
Some people say that this movie was a breakthrough in treatment of Multiple Personalities (called DID nowadays, which stands for Dissociative Identity Disorder), while others blame it for the creation of an "industry of Repressed Memories". I strongly advise that you do your research about it, so you'll be aware of the controversy and the lack of consensus that those themes still face between professionals of the area (if you're interested about my opinion, I'm very suspicious about repressed memories, and it surely sounds to me like something that could be used to take advantage of people, but I don't have an opinion about DID, although it is said to be one of the most controversial dissociative disorders). However, do it AFTER seeing this movie, so it won't impair your ability to relate with the character of Sybil and prevent you from enjoying the movie. There are some really shocking things that will happen, so be prepared. The plot unravels very nicely, and it also treats the relationships between the characters very delicately, so the film never feels hushed and, although its running time is long, this is not boring or hard to digest, and it's a really enjoyable experience. Definitely worth the watch.
Rating: 7,5/10 (I round ratings down)