The Mad Women's Ball

Ice water soakings, solitary confinement in dark cells, tranquilizers, and random body cavity inspections are just a sampling of the standard psychiatry treatments inflicted upon captive female patients in France 130 years ago. Free spirited Eugenie suffers debilitating visions that she cannot control or understand. She is only in need of some gentle guidance, understanding, and self-confidence. Instead, Eugenie is tricked by her parents and committed against her will to a cruel and misogynistic psychiatric ward. Abandoned by her relatives, Eugenie finds a different family among her unlucky ward sisters.

Women's history is reimagined in a scorching yet sensitive way by Melanie Laurent who directs and stars in the film. Thankfully the film is made in France, and therefore uncensored and blunt. While the film lacks cohesion and a little spark, it is enlightening and energizing to witness multidimensional, realistic, and complicated female characters, and women behind as well as on the screen who are defined not by men but by themselves.

World premiere seen at the Toronto international film festival.