Review of Titicut Follies (1967) by Phil S — 24 Sep 2007

I saw portions of this intensely harrowing documentary at film school and only recently watched it in its entirety thanks to google video. To say this film is disturbing is not even scratching the surface.

The film centres on a mental instiution in Massachusetts in the mid-60s and was (and still is in some states) banned in America for its frankness and imagery. We get to see the inmates beaten, goaded, insulted, stripped and, in one particularly hideous moment, force fed.

This is not a film to be enjoyed by any means. That said, if you want to see a documentarian in his element and if you want to see the unpolished grime of reality then this is a must see.