This film is an amazing and positive glimpse into the area of brain dysfunction. Although it is specific to a stroke, I found the symptoms very similar to those I suffered with Lyme and a separate incident of oxygen loss. I recommend it to anyone who knows someone with Alzheimers, Lyme, stroke or any brain disabling illness. The subject of the film is young, intelligent, beautiful and most importantly positive as she struggles to find her way through the situation she's in, pockmarked with the fear and loss of herself and her future from her disability. It's her positive traits and the telling of this as a human story, not a medical document that makes this a revealing glimpse into this world.
13 Reviews
Interesting look into how complicated the human brain is
zack_gideon27 March 2016
This is an interesting look into how complicated the human brain is. Strokes can be devastating, especially when you're older. When you're young and you have one like this woman did, it can change how you think, read, listen, communicate. It's not paralysis, etc like an older person might be afflicted with, but it changes your mind. This movie isn't incredible and it's quite slow, but it is very unique. Glad Netflix picked this up.
Having gone through speech therapy as a young child, I know just how hard it is to fix speech issues. I can't imagine being an adult and having your brain turn off some of the most basic things you take for granted. Everyday is a gift.
Having gone through speech therapy as a young child, I know just how hard it is to fix speech issues. I can't imagine being an adult and having your brain turn off some of the most basic things you take for granted. Everyday is a gift.
The complexity of the brain.
deloudelouvain22 April 2019
It must have take some bravery from Lotje Sodderland to make this documentary, or better to be the guinea pig for this documentary about her brain after she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. It must not have been easy to do that as she must have thousands of other more important things to do, learning basic things that we take for granted from scratch again. The documentary is well made, with some emotional passages that make you think it could happen to all of us. In one second your life could take a complete turn so we should enjoy every moment we have here. That's the lesson I learned after watching My Beautiful Broken Brain.
This needs a big re-edit
no_vampires_here31 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Loved it and Lotje is a really beautiful and interesting woman. Liked how she talked and her thinking, the whole experience and all.
The fact that I couldn't rate this 10 stars is because of the editing. Sophie Robinson just tries so much that is getting harder and harder to pay attention. Yeah I got it, she wanted to do this so the watcher understand better Lotje's experience but there is just too much. Why exaggerate something that is clear all through the documentary?
The fact that I couldn't rate this 10 stars is because of the editing. Sophie Robinson just tries so much that is getting harder and harder to pay attention. Yeah I got it, she wanted to do this so the watcher understand better Lotje's experience but there is just too much. Why exaggerate something that is clear all through the documentary?
Very interesting and a remarkable lady but that wart/mole was a bother
bazookamouth-221-89809713 December 2020
I thought the style of the documentary was a little irritating visually but very interesting. Nice touch at the finale with David Lynch. She is remarkable and adorable lady and so great she is in recovery. Of course its the least of her worries but I would have considered surgery on that mole/wart on her lip. Such a beautiful girl but on close ups thats all you see.
Living life with our beautiful broken brains.
mynamemcgregor-127 March 2016
As a survivor of multiple strokes including a major hemorrhagic stroke in 1999 just 13 days after my 37th Birthday and a massive hemorrhagic stroke 2011 just before Christmas I can relate to the lady in this film, I went through and I am still going through a lot of what she had experienced from her stroke. I found this movie very good at explaining what we as stroke survivors are going through. I would highly recommend this movie to people who are interested stroke experiences and want to understand what we are going through because it is truly hard for us to explain to others what it is like to live life with our beautiful broken brains.
Painfully Accurate
tenafterdave2 April 2016
It seems people who have had experience with strokes or other brain injuries are the first to be weighing in about this film. I thought it was an excellent, commendably honest look at the confusion and frustration which are common components of the injured brain. (In my case, I experienced a fractured skull with subdural hematoma when I was just entering my teen years. It took a full year of therapy for me to fully recover.) I was spared aphasia, yet I experienced hemi-paralysis and remember vividly the cognitive distortions and unreal-seeming surprises that occurred, much as they to do the brave Lotje in the film.
All in all, I thought this was an outstanding film, and wish nothing but the very best for the brave young lady who documented her experience.
All in all, I thought this was an outstanding film, and wish nothing but the very best for the brave young lady who documented her experience.
Beautiful documentary about the reality of brain dysfunction
angel-youles14 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
One of the things that struck me most about this documentary is how the filmmakers capture and recreate the experiences after Lotje Sodderland's hemorrhagic stroke and make it real and comprehensible for those who wouldn't understand how it feels for Lotje and others who suffer from this. The usage of colour and amplification of sounds help the audience to not only understand what it is like for her but to also be able to hear and see it. I imagine that was her goal for making this documentary, to share her story and feel less isolated in it all and it truly pulls at your heart strings. She said it was also a way of making sense of it all for herself too in the documentary.
The documentary is very real and deeply meaningful in many ways... you go on the journey with Lotje, and you feel very much for her. You watch her go from not being able to talk very much, go through therapy and experiments, to speaking about her experiences and accepting her new reality. The admirable thing is that she never gave up fighting and hope. She got better through doing so and it is a clear and beautiful message that this documentary gets across. No matter how bad it is, you should never give up hope... Lotje even found love with that beautiful broken brain of hers! It also provokes the question of reality and how brain plays a major part in constructing it. Lotje experiences a new reality, enriched with colour from the right eye and deeper field of vision, she experiences light and sound differently and she comes to accept that reality she has and is still very thankful about life and her journey is inspiring! The medium of film is beautiful to me because of this... so many stories and experiences are shared and can be understood and recreated through film. If you are a lover of documentary, science or life, I'd highly recommend this documentary.
The documentary is very real and deeply meaningful in many ways... you go on the journey with Lotje, and you feel very much for her. You watch her go from not being able to talk very much, go through therapy and experiments, to speaking about her experiences and accepting her new reality. The admirable thing is that she never gave up fighting and hope. She got better through doing so and it is a clear and beautiful message that this documentary gets across. No matter how bad it is, you should never give up hope... Lotje even found love with that beautiful broken brain of hers! It also provokes the question of reality and how brain plays a major part in constructing it. Lotje experiences a new reality, enriched with colour from the right eye and deeper field of vision, she experiences light and sound differently and she comes to accept that reality she has and is still very thankful about life and her journey is inspiring! The medium of film is beautiful to me because of this... so many stories and experiences are shared and can be understood and recreated through film. If you are a lover of documentary, science or life, I'd highly recommend this documentary.
Amazing Person; Mediocre Documentary
leila_sami4 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I'll start by saying that I absolutely love documentaries of any kind and on any subject and these are predominantly what I'll choose to watch.
The subject of this documentary, Lotje, is clearly a beautiful human inside and out and her strength in the face of such a harrowing and life-changing event is incredible. I know I couldn't cope with all the challenges she faced with such dignity and grace. When I saw her lecturing and speaking French I just couldn't believe her progress, which was all achieved from her own positivity, strength and hard work.
That being said, for some reason, I found that my mind kept wandering to other things things. I'm not sure if it's the editing as another reviewer mentioned or just that the documentary was probably longer than the content warranted or perhaps it was the reviews I read and the high expectations they created.
Sadly sometimes an interesting person/subject doesn't necessarily make for an interesting documentary.
Sadly sometimes an interesting person/subject doesn't necessarily make for an interesting documentary.
a lovely story, excellent film
carloslopesgaspar31 March 2016
Wow! I was mesmerized by her story and her beautiful mind... I am a nurse, and worked for many years in a acute care unit, so I dealt with this look-a-like situations on a daily basis. I always wondered about the implications of this situations, specifically in aphasic syndromes... and, somehow, always felt helpless. I mean, it's really challenging: the depersonalization, the lack of freedom that the unit routines impose, people not recognizing/redefining themselves, the uncertainty towards the future and life-goals/projects, the "re-construction" of the self and pursuing/finding a meaning. It's a really emotive journey! If you can, please read: "De Profundis - Valsa Lenta", from José Cardoso Pires (a top Portuguese writer), that describes his experience when he had a stroke. I kept remembering his writings throughout the film, he had a really similar point of view...
Emotional and intense
jannepetroci9 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I started watching this documentary without a clear idea of what a stroke is or what to expect of it. Within the first 30 minutes I was crying because of the intensity of Lotje's experience. I can't even imagine how hard it is to go through such a thing and never give up hope. I loved that she filmed a lot of it herself, even though she couldn't always explain how she felt.
But you do see her evolution, not only in her recovery but also in acceptance of what is. She became conscious about her condition and about the importance of rest and tranquility in life, which is slightly different from the person she was before her stroke.
This documentary is a reality-check about the severity of brain damage but also about being conscious, satisfied and grateful for your life. It teaches you the strength of human faith, even though she didn't always think she would recover - she never gave up and that is exactly what got her this far. She is an example for all of us, with a beautiful broken brain or just a regular one.
But you do see her evolution, not only in her recovery but also in acceptance of what is. She became conscious about her condition and about the importance of rest and tranquility in life, which is slightly different from the person she was before her stroke.
This documentary is a reality-check about the severity of brain damage but also about being conscious, satisfied and grateful for your life. It teaches you the strength of human faith, even though she didn't always think she would recover - she never gave up and that is exactly what got her this far. She is an example for all of us, with a beautiful broken brain or just a regular one.
Exciting...
RosanaBotafogo9 January 2021
A trip through a lost mind trying to find oneself, would be David Lynch also a lost mind, I just know that his films make me look lost, definitely, the documentary is beautiful and makes us realize that we can lose everything from one hour to the next, without explanation , without reason... Exciting...
Emotional and wonderful movie with minimal bad stuff
sarahelizabeth-6825830 December 2018
Overall wonderful movie, very empowering and motivational. Some scenes may be frightening or intense for young children, and the events that happen may be difficult for them to understand. Clean of blood and bodily fluids, no extreme graphics, and one curse word throughout the whole movie with minimal nudity.
Notable events: Head and shoulders of naked woman in bath tub. Naked man statue in one scene in the back; you cannot see the junk at first so there's time to block the screen before it comes into view. A few scenes with a shirtless teen boy, and a few with a boy wearing short shorts. No sex at all. One photo of a married couple kissing at the end of the movie.
One f word at 1:10:07.
Notable events: Head and shoulders of naked woman in bath tub. Naked man statue in one scene in the back; you cannot see the junk at first so there's time to block the screen before it comes into view. A few scenes with a shirtless teen boy, and a few with a boy wearing short shorts. No sex at all. One photo of a married couple kissing at the end of the movie.
One f word at 1:10:07.
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