God's Crooked Lines
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God's Crooked Lines
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that God's Crooked Lines is a 2022 thriller-drama in which a private investigator feigns paranoia to investigate a murder in a psychiatric hospital. One scene involves attempted rape, resulting in the attacker being struck in the head with a log and killed. A character is killed by being stabbed multiple times with a large shard of glass; there are blood stains on the dead body. Some fighting includes punches, kicks, and tackles, and there's an attempted murder (poisoning). Some language includes "f--k." Nonsexual nudity: Male and female patients are shown taking showers together in a large room. Cigarette smoking and drinking appear as well.
What's the Story?
In GOD'S CROOKED LINES, Alice (Bárbara Lennie) is a private investigator hired to investigate the mysterious death of a patient in a psychiatric hospital. In order to do this, she must gain admittance into the hospital by pretending to suffer from paranoia. She succeeds in fooling the admitting doctor, and must quickly learn to acclimate to life inside the hospital. She meets a suave schizophrenic named Ignacio (Pablo Derqui) whom she initially suspects may be behind the murder. Further investigation reveals that the murder appears to be part of a cover-up by the hospital administrators, and as Alice gets closer to uncovering what happened, the head of the hospital, Dr. Alvar, uses his power to stop her. Now Alice must find a way to prove that she's not suffering from paranoia and elude Alvar's attempts to permanently leave her in the hospital to safeguard his reputation.
Is It Any Good?
This is a mostly fun, if overlong, Spanish thriller-drama. God's Crooked Lines starts off with an intriguing concept: A private investigator is hired to investigate the suspicious death of one of the patients in a psychiatric hospital. To find out what happened, she must pose as a patient checking in. It's a strong start, but it doesn't take long for the movie to get bogged down by more side stories and threads than the average anime. When it works, such as when it develops the characters suffering from mental illness in the hospital, it adds depth and heightens the story. When it doesn't, one begins to feel the seconds tick away in this two-hour-and-35-minute movie.
Indeed, for as good as it is at times, there's a lingering sense that the movie could've been at least half an hour shorter without sacrificing much. However, the story twists are a great time, leaving the audience guessing who's being honest and who isn't. The directing is also fantastic, and the acting among the main and secondary characters is solid. It probably rewards a second or third viewing, provided one has the time.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about thriller-dramas like God's Crooked Lines. How was this similar to and different from other movies like this that you've seen?
This movie is based on a novel. What would be some of the challenges in adapting a novel into a movie?
How does the movie depict those who struggle with mental illness? Does it seem accurate, and are they depicted with dignity rather than in a way that might be exploitative or sensationalistic?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: December 9, 2022
- Cast: Bárbara Lennie, Pablo Derqui, Eduard Fernández
- Director: Oriol Paulo
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Drama
- Run time: 154 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: December 13, 2022
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