Her Name Is Sabine

This is a very touching glimpse into the life of a young woman living with autism. Nonetheless, there was one major element that was never mentioned, and which both frustrated and slightly saddened me.I do not doubt that the institutionalization most likely made her condition much worse, and it is good that she is no longer there. It is also good that they have managed to down her medication to half of what it once was, and obtain care for her in a facility where she can live something more akin to a normal life. Her sister seems to care for her very much, and she is blessed to have such a sister who ensures that she is taken care of.Yet it saddens me to see the way that the mentally ill are often treated in regards to nutrition. To those on the outside, without much understanding, this might seem like a minor point. However, to watch a young woman in such a condition eating french fries, hamburgers, chocolates, drinking soda, etc.... you have to have some understanding of the impact of nutrition on the body and mental problems to understand that this could have unfairly added to her condition through the years. With the medication on top of it, however reduced the doses might be...argh! It just is so frustrating. Medication can actually lead to the development of further problems. So for example, a depressed person without Bipolar who stays on anti-depressants for five years can end up WITH bipolar. I know that this young woman does not have either of those diagnoses, but her already damaged brain is probably being eaten up, along with her body, through medications and terrible food.Sadly, I realize there is no easy answer to all of this. Yet I do wish that those in the professions whereby they care for the mentally ill would learn more about the effects of nutrition on individuals. There is just no reason why the medical community should continue to insist that nutrition does not play a role. Of course it does. If what you put in your mouth by way of a pill can affect you, so can food in its own way. I am sad that her family has not been exposed to the information out there so that they could better step in and help her. I wish she could be detoxed of all those years of medication and most likely poor nutrition, and then given a superior regimen for the future. It is a shame that those who care for her on the clinical end are so behind in this. It is not a cure all, I realize that, but it may have given her the chance to slow the deterioration, or even reverse it to some degree.My rant aside, this is a very unique film. I wish we could have seen more of her trip to New York. It seems to have meant a lot to her. It is wonderful to see that she has those who do care for her, despite their lack of knowledge of the better care that she could perhaps receive. They are clearly at least trying. I just hope that more information comes to help them, and soon.

So beautiful. So gifted. But with a neurological problem which causes her to lash out at herself and others. Her mother and siblings are bewildered, and unsure how to help her. As life takes its course and her siblings move away to their families and careers, Sabine, stuck in childhood, feels angry and abandoned. Her behavior deteriorates, and after trying to find other solutions, she is institutionalized. The toxic medications and shock of the experience leave her devastated.This film picks up at a point in which Sabine has been removed from the institution, and placed into a group care home by her sister Sandrine. Sandrine Bonnaire, the auteur of this film, and a famous French actress, had lobbied to create the group home simply to improve her sister Sabine's life. This film follows the day to day life of Sabine and the handful of other residents. Personalized compassionate care is given each one; at first I felt outraged they were not allowed to rest, or the epileptic given a wheelchair. Then I realized, the staff makes a constant effort to push each one just past the point of comfort, to keep them from stagnating. When they truly cannot, the staff steps in without judgment. Indeed, as the staff are drooled on, spat at, bitten and hit, and never lose temper, one sees why there are so few homes like this. Such saints do not grow on trees. It is very touching how endlessly patient the staff are with the residents of the group home.This is not a film to watch if you become sad easily. This is not a feel good 'triumph of the spirit' movie. This is daily life put to film. The good news is that Sabine improved after living in this group home. The bad news is that for her and the other residents, this house in the country, with flies buzzing, and day trips to buy some clothes, or eat at a fast food place, are as good as it gets. Sandrine Bonnaire has made a gem of a love letter to her sister. We cannot forget her or the other residents. Her name is Sabine; and this film is heartbreaking.

Sandrine Bonnaire is a famous French actress whose younger sister suffers from autism. In this documentary about her sister she tries to underline the importance of having reception centers especially adapted for autistic persons. I think the approach is interesting because you can see Sabine Before and After her 5 year stays in psychiatric hospital. Before she was happy beautiful and full of life. It seems that just after she looked like a zombie, having been under strong medication (with any diagnosis really established!!!!) gaining 30 kg. In this documentary we can note the consequences of internment: she is still anxious (but certainly less than a few years before) and sometimes violent (physically and orally). Yet, she is on the right way even if she might not be like before the internment.This documentary is also a wonderful act of love from Bonnaire to her sister. It is incredible what Sandrine and other families do for their beloved; how little they are supported and how much they have to fight so people like Sabine are respected, listened to and taken care of in dignity. This film helped also the French society to take conscience at least for a while that it was time to create structures like the one in Juignac for Sabine and her peers so they could communicate better with the other world around them. But what about all the families who cannot take care of their beloved anymore and have no luck in finding a place for them to stay and blossom? And what will happen to Sabine and the all the others when Sandrine and family members will not be here anymore? What will happen if/when there will be no more budget to take care of all these human beings? We are all concerned especially with the industrialized food we eat and the surrounding pollution:[...]

Heartbreaking and offers a window into a world I knew little about. Thank you to the actor, Sandrine Bonnaire whose work I really love, for being brave and honest enough to share this story.

A human health care by great physical applications is accessible. A realistic representation of the possible course of the disease and the emotional work in the family.

Heart wrenching, intelligent documentary about a young girl who is let down by the medical service in France. Undiagnosed for years, her mental state deteriorates - seemingly beyond repair.

This video shot doc reaches you in your inner gut and without being a manifesto makes the best case againstany kind of large and heavy institution that despite the best intentions manifests as a form of fascism. We doNOT see such a place in this doc what we see here is the before and after of the impact of such a place.A good parallel purchase would be FRANKIE starring Diane Kruger another microbudget video prod only one acted as well as documented in which the fashion business comes across as worse than being locked up in a loony bin.

This is quite interesting, and it is has to be good for people who are not disabled to gain some insight into the life of someone who is quite seriously disabled, but I don't think I'll be watching it more than the once.