Freak City (TV 1999)

After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a rebellious young woman is disease-stricken. Upon being admitted to a nursing home, she finds hope in the most unlikely of places...

Director:

Lynne Littman

Writer:

Jane Shepard

Stars:

Samantha Mathis, Natalie Cole, Marlee Matlin

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Samantha Mathis	...	Ruth Ellison
Natalie Cole	...	Eleanor Sorrell
Marlee Matlin	...	Cassandra
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Cal Jackson
Jonathan Silverman	...	Lenny Stanapolous
Estelle Parsons	...	Mrs. Stanapolous
Eve Crawford	...	Nurse Veronica
Janet Lo	...	Nurse Fran
Karen Robinson	...	Nurse Jan
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nola Augustson	...	Evelyn Lissard
Rodger Barton	...	Tom Lissard
Anne Bellamy	...	Grandma
Kurt Brunus	...	John Sorrell
Sergio Di Zio	...	Leo Berman
Rosemary Dunsmore	...	Mary Manmouth

Storyline

Freak City tells the moving story of a young woman, played by Samantha Mathis, who is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and is institutionalized by her family. Alone and feeling abandoned she struggles to regain her sense of dignity and independence by bonding with a wide assortment of fellow patients. Other residents at the home include Jonathan Silverman as a blind man, Marlee Maitlin, a slightly retarded woman, and singer-actress Natalie Cole as a blues singer injured in an accident and left with severe mental and emotional challenges. Working together they share many funny and sometimes bittersweet moments and celebrate overcoming their challenges as a family brought together by circumstance.

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Plot Keywords:

multiple sclerosis | wheelchair | independent film

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 February 2007 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Grad nakaza

Company Credits

Production Co:

Showtime Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

Throughout the movie, Lenny feels around with his hands the way sighted people do. Because of the significant role fingertips play to blind people, they learn to approach objects with backs of their hands in order to protect their fingertips from damage since there's no telling what they might stumble upon.

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Soundtracks

"Marriage Of Figaro"
Composer/Arranger Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as Wolfgang A. Mozart)

User Reviews

under-rated, poetic exploration of the human spirit

Samantha Mathis, Jonathan Silverman, and Natalie Cole? Sounds like it ought to be trite and even a bit goofy or silly...however, I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Ruth (Mathis) undergoes a beautiful transformation in this film. She finds her life in utter upheaval after the death of her grandmother. Dealing not only with that loss, she must also seek to find personal peace in Lewellyn, a care facility she is placed in against her will by her aunt.

It is here that she encounters Lenny (Silverman), Cass (Matlin), Elanor (Cole), and Cal (Sarsgaard). Each facing their own affliction, Ruth must learn to deal with her MS.

I must take a moment to applaud Peter Sarsgaard's performance as Cal. Through his conversations on Dante's inferno and his own personal demons rising to the surface, he monopolized my attention. He is phenomenal, powerful, real, and, above all, believable.

I urge you all to rent this, especially if you are involved in any way with health care. This is a beautiful story and film deserving more attention.

Caution: there are, at times, some predictable moments, Natalie's song does seem to be about two verses too long, and Lenny's mother (who you'll know as Roseanne's sitcom mom) is unavoidably annoying.