A disturbed, institutionalized 16-year-old girl struggles between fantasy and reality.

Based very loosely on the intricate novel by Joanne Greenberg. A young woman's devotion to a childhood fantasy kingdom has taken over her entire life and causes her endless pain and degradation. Placed in a mental hospital, she has the great good fortune to have a truly caring therapist who tries to help her accept reality, even though reality isn't so great either.—Molly Malloy <[email protected]>

While One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) offered a subversive and satirical look at a psychiatric institutions, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977) delivered a dramatic, emotionally compelling portrait of a young woman's experience of psychiatric treatment. This Oscar®-nominated screenplay was adapted from the best-selling novel by Joanne Greenberg. It features a critically acclaimed performance by a young Kathleen Quinlan in an extremely challenging role. In her critically acclaimed performance, Quinlan inhabits Deborah, a mentally ill teen who struggles between fantasy and reality, escaping to her own imaginary world. Deborah is sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment by Dr. Fried (Ingmar Bergman's favorite Bibi Andersson), who must attempt to rescue Deborah from the cruel beauty of her inner world. Shot with stark realism, the film pulls no punches in its depiction of a psychiatric ward, while maintaining individual and sensitive portrayals of the hospital's residents.