Kathleen Quinlan gives a terrific performance as Deborah in this portrayal of a disturbed teenagers three year stay at a not very nice mental institution. Deborah is haunted by a private inner fantasy life which stops her from engaging with reality, but gradually over time, she learns to trust her therapist (played by Ingmar Bergman regular Bibi Andersson) and she attains a measure of functionality despite her illness. The characters in the hospital are all of the usual stereotyped mental patient kind, and the film does little to engage our interest in them. It is a vehicle for Deborah to act out all of her craziness until she is forced into cooperation with the shrink. The inner world of Deborah is not very well rendered and the book upon which the movie is based goes into much more detail about the manifestation of her illness. Still, there is always something interesting going on in the entire duration of the movie and Quinlan really does throw herself into her role. I Never Promised You A Rose Garden is a classic film in the ranks of mental health-based movies, and it is definitely worth viewing.
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!