Titicut Follies

Bridgewater State Hospital in Massachusetts, an institution holding men found to have committed crimes and judged not of sound mind. The documentary goes inside and records what happens: men kept naked, force feeding, guards mocking them, sessions with doctors, and the annual show the institution puts on, called the Titicut Follies. Frederick Wiseman directs in his first film. The method would become his signature: no narrator, no music, no interviews, no explanation. The camera stands in the room and records; the meaning comes out of the edit. What happened to the film is a story apart from its subject. The state of Massachusetts banned it from being shown, on the grounds of patient privacy. The ban lasted for years and the film could not be shown generally in America until the early nineties. For an American film to be blocked this long on grounds that were neither political nor obscene is close to unique. The practices at the institution were investigated afterwards and Bridgewater became a matter of public argument. The image is black and white and handheld; the sound is raw and the scenes are left uncut. Who it is for: anyone interested in the history of documentary and in films about institutional violence. Who it is not for: it is very hard to watch, the scenes are distressing, and the film offers neither comment nor consolation.