Remember to read the low-rated reviews first, which in this particular case includes my own. Even accounting for its dated format and formula, this ghastly, over-simplified, processed-cheese movie about mental "disorder" with a confused script and incoherent acting is an accidental turkey. However, it bravely tackles issues which at the time were taboo: even the Vatican has accepted the detailed research data revealing that 70% of the abuse of minors occur within the family circuit. Omertà: the father with daughter, the uncle with nephew, the neighbour with both, relatives turning a blind eye, a deaf ear. Though she does her best, Field is a struggle to watch and barely capable of projecting variations between her personalities (her inadequacy means relying props like hair-style, glasses, and clothing). In later career, her "Brothers & Sisters" (2006-15) and "Doris" (2015) are proof of her acting limits. Meanwhile, despite her fame, Woodward is hardly better, and we'd best forget Davis altogether. In the 1970s folks were probing and analysing religion rules and regulation, and Sybil is a relatable offshoot of that surge of new awareness. Fifty years since the film's debut, abuse of minors remains rampant and is invariably a family affair. The closing shmaltz is ruinous.
Review of Sybil
