Horse Girl

Starring Alison Brie and based on the experiences of her own Grandmother, Horse Girl offers a perspective on the symptoms of Schizophrenia through the experiences of Sarah. An introvert who enjoys the simple things in life, Sarah begins to have pockets of her life that she cannot explain- lost time, intense deja vu, and injuries and markings that she does not remember making. Through a series of heartbreaking episodes, the film presents schizophrenia as an all-encompassing illness, that creates a reality so vivid, it is near impossible to see a way out.

Firstly, it is refreshing to see a presentation of mental illness in a film that is free from fetishisation, but does not shy away from the reality of suffering with such an illness. All too often we are subjected to images of schizophrenia that focus on hysterical patients in white-walled asylums, while Horse Girl looks at the person behind the illness- a person that is as baffled by their symptoms as the people around them. This is a deeply effective way of presenting the illness that could not be achieved without Alison Brie's flawless performance. Sensitive and full of depth, Brie carries the film through her earnest expressions and detailed use of voice. 

The film is ultimately very scary, using techniques of the horror genre to immerse the audience in quite how terrifying the symptoms of schizophrenia are. This occasionally does not work in the film's favour, making it so bleak and terrifying that you start to wonder what is really the aim here. However, as the film progresses it becomes clear that this is the point- that the reality of this illness is so terrifying that we must learn to work around it, in the same way that it's sufferers must also. Along with fetishistic portrayals of mental illness comes media that pretends to find a solution. Horse Girl emphasises that there is no solution, so we must try to assimilate, rather than resist. 

The anxiety inducing, non-linear narrative culminates with a sequence that is, in counterpoint, very uplifting. This creates a message that parallels the rest of the film- that alongside it's scary elements, people suffering from mental illnesses can experience joy and happiness like anyone else. Horse Girl is an original and complex exploration of mental illness that, while heavy going at times, I would recommend to anyone who is seeking a bit more understanding of what it is to live with such a debilitating, but also fascinating, condition. 

Photo credit: Netflix.