A lot of millennials are aspiring to do well in their respective careers even at an early age. However, not everyone can escape the dire effects of stress, overwork, and even a couple of health concerns. As someone who is continuously striving to climb up that corporate ladder, I find it really helpful when someone reminds me to relax and take a breather every now and then. Of course, reminders don’t always come in the form of a text message or a Tweet. Sometimes, they also come in the form of songs and movies — pretty much like how Brain on Fire is set to make us realize a thing of two about life.
Brain on Fire is based on the 2012 New York Times Bestselling autobiography, My Month of Madness, by New York Post writer Susannah Cahalan. The film revolves around the astonishing true story of a young woman’s descent into madness in the face of a medical mystery starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Thomas Mann, Carrie-Anne Moss, Richard Armitage, Jenny Slate, and Tyler Perry.
Chloe Grace Moretz in ‘Brain on Fire’ (Pioneer Films)
Directed by Gerard Barrett, the story trails the challenges of Cahalan (Moretz), an up-and-coming journalist at the New York Post. With a blooming love life with a musician named Stephen and a big assignment that will jumpstart her career, things couldn’t be better.
Soon, little things start going wrong. Susannah gets a flu she can’t shake, she forgets things, and she misses deadlines at work. She can hear people talking about her, she’s sure that Stephen has another girlfriend, and she can’t control her body. It soon gets worse; Susannah begins having violent seizures, and her increasingly psychotic behavior means she must be watched at all times.
After repeated trips to the hospital, a team of doctors can find nothing wrong with her. As Susannah is admitted and spends weeks in a hospital bed, losing her ability to move, talk, even eat, her family is repeatedly told that she is one hundred percent healthy. Her mom Rhona and her dad Tom are at a breaking point, waiting for their daughter to die while being told there is nothing anyone can do to help her.
With Susannah trapped in a body that continues to deteriorate, her family keeps hoping for someone, anyone, that can solve the mystery. Only when they finally find a doctor determined and curious enough to see her case through can Susannah begin to recover from her bizarre illness and try to get back to the vibrant young woman she was.
Check out the official movie poster below:
From Pioneer Films, witness this inspiring miracle when Brain on Fire opens this February 22, 2017 in cinemas nationwide.