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Nise: The Heart of Madness

Directed by Roberto Berliner

108 Min | Portuguese | Brazil | | Narrative
biography,electroshock therapy,hospital,schizophrenia | Feature | Open Captions
Producer: Lorena Bondarovsky | Writer: Flávia Castro, Mauricio Lissovsk | Cast: Glória Pires, Claudio Jaborandy, Flavio Bauraqui
Art, Disability Rights, Therapy

After leaving prison, Dr. Nise da Silveira returns to work in a psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, where she refuses to employ the new and violent electroshock therapy used to treat individuals with schizophrenia. Ridiculed by doctors, she takes up work in the abandoned Sector for Occupational Therapy, where she initiates a revolution, using art therapy, pets, and love to treat her patients. Nise is based on the true story of an indomitable woman who confronted Brazil’s mental health establishment.

Disabilities featured:

Mental Health, Schizophrenia

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