TIFF ’21 Review: ‘The Mad Women’s Ball’ depicts the horrors of medical abuse
‘The Mad Women’s Ball’ is the chilling tale of a young woman committed to an asylum because her family will no longer tolerate her eccentricities.
Science is an ever-evolving discipline whose knowledge has been used to improve people’s lives in countless ways. But for the number of successes achieved over hundreds of years, there are at least twice as many failures that resulted in irreparable harm. In medicine, especially, doctors clung to diagnoses and treatments that are now viewed as reprehensible and torturous because some study assured them it was effective. Watching patients deteriorate in front of their eyes simply meant they were resisting treatment and something even more extreme was required. This was particularly true when it came to addressing mental health issues, which were vastly misdiagnosed and mistreated. In The Mad Women’s Ball, audiences are taken into the heart of an asylum for women in 19th-century France.
Eugénie (Lou de Laâge) comes from a good family with a loving brother (Benjamin Voisin), ailing but doting grandmother (Martine Chevallier), and strict father (Cédric Kahn). She is a logical thinker and avid reader, which makes her mind unsuited for high society. She frequently says the wrong thing and is scolded for causing her father embarrassment. However, when she claims to commune with spirits, the family sees no other choice than to commit her to the asylum. The facility is run by Dr. Charcot (Grégoire Bonnet), who prescribes a variety of treatments for his patients, ranging from hydrotherapy to ether catheters to hypnosis. The women’s afflictions appear to include Down Syndrome, molestation, murder and “hysteria.” Eugénie insists she doesn’t belong there, but convincing anyone of her gift is a difficult task.
For an extended period in history, hysteria was probably the most common diagnosis for women, regardless of their condition. Whether they were depressed, justifiably angry, epileptic, a victim of abuse, homosexual or anything else that could affect one’s demeanour, they suffered from hysteria. The treatments included ice baths, electroshock therapy, heavy drugs, hypnosis, lobotomies and other cures that likely caused more harm than good. The catch in this tale is Eugénie really can communicate with spirits, but in spite of the evidence to support her ability, most people find it easier to believe she’s insane than to consider the existence of ghosts. The movie uses this certainty of her supernatural gift to condemn the actions of medical staff who refuse to consider other more probable causes for these women’s conduct.
The asylum is the place of nightmares as everyone is grouped together in a single room, regardless of their condition. Thus, even women who entered without a serious mental illness can be driven mad by their surroundings and treatments, which entailed gaslighting and humiliation. Eugénie is overwhelmed by the contrast with high society, though she does manage by befriending some of the more coherent patients. It doesn’t seem like her gift gives her comfort, but she is able to use it to help — and appall — others. Possibly the most grievous of abuses portrayed is the title’s ball, during which the patients are paraded like an exhibition and rich benefactors take joy in making fun of them… and taking advantage of their vulnerability.
The Mad Women’s Ball is screening as part of the Gala Presentations programme at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Read other reviews from the festival.
Director: Mélanie Laurent
Starring: Lou de Laâge, Mélanie Laurent and Emmanuelle Bercot
