Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
A woman who is unfairly institutionalized at a Paris asylum plots to escape with the help of one of its nurses. Based on the novel 'Le bal des folles' by Victoria Mas.
A well-crafted French period drama set in the Salpêtrière asylum under Charcot, The Mad Women's Ball benefits from strong central performances, particularly Mélanie Laurent (who also directs) and Lou de Laâge. The plot follows a fairly conventional wrongful-institutionalization arc with a spiritual subplot that adds some distinctiveness but can feel underdeveloped. The period production design is competent without being visually revelatory. Novelty is middling — the asylum drama genre is well-trodden, though the specifically French historical context and the feminist reclamation angle lend it some individuality. The ending is satisfying but not surprising, landing solidly within genre expectations.