TM
Time Magazine
Called the film a 'stark and unforgiving' look at conditions that society would rather ignore, praising its unflinching lens.
A stark and graphic portrayal of the conditions that existed at the State Prison for the Criminally Insane at Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and documents the various ways the inmates are treated by the guards, social workers, and psychiatrists.
Directed byFrederick Wiseman
Written byFrederick Wiseman
Critical Consensus
7.7
IMDb
7.2
TMDB
A groundbreaking and harrowing work of Direct Cinema, *Titicut Follies* is universally recognized as a masterful documentary that forced a reckoning with the systemic abuse of the mentally ill, while simultaneously sparking decades of debate regarding ethics and consent in filmmaking.
Trivia
The film is a stark, observational documentary directed by Frederick Wiseman, chronicling the conditions of inmates at the Bridgewater State Hospital for the criminally insane in Massachusetts.
The title is derived from a talent show performed by the inmates, which the institution named 'Titicut Follies' after the Wampanoag word for the nearby Taunton River.
Due to intense legal battles led by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts over the patients' rights to privacy, the film was banned from general public viewing in the United States until 1991.
During the ban, exhibition was strictly restricted to legislators, judges, lawyers, medical professionals, and students in related fields.
In 2022, the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation, deeming it culturally and historically significant.
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Critics
RM
Richard Schickel, Life Magazine
Described it as 'one of the most devastating documentary films ever made,' highlighting its emotional and ethical impact.
TT
The New York Times
Vincent Canby noted that the film was a powerful social document that succeeded in exposing the grim reality of state-run mental health institutions.
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