Nise: The Heart of Madness

Nise: The Heart of Madness (Portuguese: Nise: O Coração da Loucura) is a 2015 Brazilian docudrama directed by Roberto Berliner. Starring Glória Pires, the film is based on the life of psychiatrist Nise da Silveira, a pioneer of occupational therapy in Brazil. Nise also features Fabrício Boliveira, Fernando Eiras, Perfeito Fortuna, Roberta Rodrigues, Augusto Madeira, Simone Mazzer, and Zé Carlos Machado.[1]

Nise: The Heart of Madness
Portuguese	Nise: O Coração da Loucura
Directed by	Roberto Berliner
Produced by	Rodrigo Letler
Written by	Patrícia Andrade Leonardo Rocha Roberto Berliner Flávia Castro Maurício Lissovsky Chris Alcazar Maria Camargo
Based on	The life of Nise da Silveira
Starring	Glória Pires Simone Mazzer Julio Adrião Cláudio Jaborandy Fabrício Boliveira Roney Villela Flávio Bauraqui Bernardo Marinho Roberta Rodrigues Augusto Madeira Zé Carlos Machado
Cinematography	Andre Horta
Edited by	Pedro Bronz Leonardo Domingues
Production company	TV Zero
Release date	25 October 2015 (Tokyo International Film Festival) 21 April 2016 (Brazil)
Country	Brazil
Language	Portuguese

Plot

In 1944, the doctor Nise da Silveira returns to work in a psychiatric hospital in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro and refuses to use electroshock and lobotomy in the treatment of schizophrenics. Insulated from the other doctors, she must reorganize the abandoned occupational-therapy sector, where she forms a new clinical approach of listening and observing, further alienating herself from her colleagues. Insisting that those under her care be referred to as clients, rather than patients, she encourages the freedom of expression through art, discovering her clients' talents. She opens the Casa das Palmeiras, a clinic and studio, at the hospital, and later starts a museum dedicated to her clients' artwork.[1][2]

Production

According to director Roberto Berliner, the idea for Nise came from Bernardo Horta, brother of the film's director of photography, André Horta. André started organizing some of da Silveira's writing, then passed the project to Berliner in 2003. In all, research for the film took 13 years.[3]

Release

The film was released over 3 years in different parts of the world. In 2015, it was released in Japan.[4] Throughout 2016, it was released in Sweden, France, Brazil, and the Netherlands.[5] In 2017, it was released in the United States by Outsider Pictures and Strand Releasing.[2] In 2018, it was released to selected (about 600) screens in mainland China from January 5 through February 4.[6]

Reception

Critical response

According to Rotten Tomatoes, Nise received generally positive reviews with a rating of 86%.[7] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times called it "a mesmerizing drama",[8] Daphne Howland of The Village Voice wrote "the actors’ portrayals ... ring true",[9] Jonathan Holland of The Hollywood Reporter called it "heartwarming but unsentimental",[1] and J. R. Jones of the Chicago Reader wrote that it "has its powerful moments but ... turns into a black-and-white struggle between a caring, enlightened woman and a cadre of hard-hearted, benighted men."[10]

Accolades

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2015	Nise: The Heart of Madness	Tokyo International Film Festival Audience Award for Best Film[11][12]	Won
	Glória Pires	Tokyo International Film Festival Grand Prix for Best Actress[11][12]	Won
	Nise: The Heart of Madness	Rio Film Festival Audience Award[3][2]	Won
2016		IndieWire Critic's Poll Best Undistributed Film[13]	Nominated
		IndieWire Critic's Poll Best Overlooked Film[13]	Nominated

References

1. Holland, Jonathan (26 April 2017). "'Nise — The Heart of Madness' ('Nise — O Coracao da Loucura'): Rio de Janeiro Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
2. Hopewell, John (15 May 2016). "Cannes: Outsider, Strand Take U.S. On 'Nise'". Variety. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
3. Gonçalves, Anderson (21 April 2016). ""Nise - O Coração da Loucura" retrata a psiquiatra que descobriu gênios" ["Nise - The Heart of Madness" portrays the psychiatrist who discovered geniuses]. Gazeta do Povo (in Portuguese). GRPcom. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
4. Schilling, Mark (31 October 2015). "Brazilian Drama 'Nise' Wins Tokyo Festival Grand Prix". Variety. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
5. Nise: The Heart of Madness at IMDb
6. https://archive.today/20180104122632/https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ZiqPKATk6nZaNw6-538aRw
7. "Nise: The Heart of Madness (Nise: O Coração da Loucura) (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
8. Genzlinger, Neil (27 April 2017). "Review: 'Nise', the Therapist Who Resisted Lobotomies". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
9. Howland, Daphne (26 April 2017). "Patient Docu-Drama "Nise: The Heart of Madness" Celebrates a Brazilian Therapist's Breakthrough in Mental-Health Treatment". The Village Voice. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
10. Jones, J.R. (27 April 2017). "Nise: The Heart of Madness". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
11. Erbland, Kate (26 April 2017). "'NISE: The Heart of Madness' Clip Finds Beauty in Chaos in New Historical Drama". IndieWire. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
12. Brzeski, Patrick (31 October 2015). "Tokyo Film Festival: Brazilian Drama 'Nise' Wins Grand Prix". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
13. "2016 IndieWire Critics Poll: Ernesto Diezmartinez". IndieWire. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2017.