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tom-38912
Reviews
America Undercover: Asylum (1992)
Fascinating and touching
I absolutely loved HBO's America Undercover "Asylum". Each of the 5 profiled patients pulls ate your heartstrings in their own way and made me want to know way more about them...what were their lives before entering Patton, what lead them there, and how did they make out once outside, if they were ever released at all.
I know that one of them, Chris Clark, a man committed to Patton after murdering his fiancee in a schizophrenic episode, was indeed released at the end of the program and I'd give anything to know what happened to him afterwards....such a likable, dare I say lovable, person who had the misfortune of suffering a terrible mental illness.
The other 4 patients were also so likable, from Walter Spuller, a gentle teddy bear of a person, committed to Patton for shooting some hikers, like Chris Clark, in a schizophrenic state of mind, to James Hoffer, the smiling, goofy drummer, committed for shooting a police officer in a paranoid delusional disordered state.
If I had anything negative at all to say about this program is it was likely a completely sanitized version of Patton State Hospital, just showing us the kindness of the doctors and staff who worked there, and the very best patients they could put in front of a camera....but I'll take it, and only wish there was a follow-up.