Brain on Fire

Name: Brain on Fire
Genre: Biography, Drama
Released: June 22, 2018
Duration: 88 min
Rating: 34
Cast: Alex Zahara, Carrie-Anne Moss, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jenn MacLean-Angus, Jenny Slate

2018

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 5 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Ratings

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6.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Ratings

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Brain On Fire

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Movie Details & Credits

Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): June 22, 2018 | PG-13

Starring: Alex Zahara, Carrie-Anne Moss, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jenn MacLean-Angus, Jenny Slate, Ken Tremblett, Navid Negahban, Richard Armitage, Thomas Mann, Tyler Perry

Summary: One morning, 24-year-old Susannah Cahalan (Chloë Grace Moretz) woke up in a hospital bed. She couldn't speak. She couldn't move. And she had no idea how she got there.

Director: Gerard Barrett

Genre(s): Biography, Drama

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 88 min

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Critic Reviews

The Playlist Kenji Fujishima

Jun 15, 2018

Brain On Fire is often effective, and at times positively enraging, but one can’t help but lament the much more disquieting film that might have resulted had the filmmakers been more willing to trust the facts of Cahalan’s case to speak for themselves instead of feeling a need to shove them into uplifting platitudes Read full review

The Guardian

Jun 15, 2018

There’s undoubtedly a terrifying true story at the centre and it’s easy to see why the film’s producer Charlize Theron optioned the book but there’s something a little too flat in the delivery. Read full review

David Rooney

Jun 15, 2018

Despite Barrett's careful attention to creating an unsettling mood of existential horror by loading the soundtrack with ambient dread, and his depiction of New York as a breeding ground for overstimulated instability, Brain on Fire just sits there, inert and uninvolving. Read full review

Wendy Ide

Jun 15, 2018

This is a downbeat slog of a film which tells a not particularly involving story. Read full review

Peter Debruge

Jun 15, 2018

This embarrassingly earnest film — produced by Charlize Theron — argues for the importance of doctors going the extra mile, when textbook diagnoses won’t do. Read full review

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User Reviews

Method__Man

Jun 23, 2018

Acting was phenomenal, and the plot delivery was executed well. the movie really draws parallels to the real frustration of navigating the medical system, especially for those with rare and difficult diseases. This movie really speaks to the experiences that the real life person would haveActing was phenomenal, and the plot delivery was executed well. the movie really draws parallels to the real frustration of navigating the medical system, especially for those with rare and difficult diseases. This movie really speaks to the experiences that the real life person would have experienced.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

bfoore90

Feb 7, 2020

One thing this movie does well that i've seen reviewers point out is that it accurately displays the frustrations involved with navigating the medical system if you have a rare or unknown disease. Performances aside, the problem here is that this film does almost nothing memorable with its message.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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