Chances are you forgot about Brain on Fire, the Chloe Moretz drama that was announced about four years ago. It’s okay, I forgot about it too and had assumed it had quietly released some time back. But nope, the film has been sitting on the shelf since it debuted at TIFF in 2016, which makes it perfect fodder for Netflix who are always looking for inexpensive content with big names that attract attention. And so mere days before it’s made available for streaming Netflix is releasing the first trailer.
Based on a true story adapted from Susannah Callahan’s memoir, Brain on Fire stars Moretz as a young writer who seemingly has everything going for her. That is until she’s suddenly stricken with an unknown illness that her doctors can’t identify, making her subject to numerous psychological tests before one makes a startling a discovery.
The film is directed by Gerard Barrett, who helmed the underrated Glassland, and features an impressive supporting cast of Jenny Slate, Thomas Mann, Richard Armitage, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Tyler Perry. Here’s the synopsis:
Susannah Cahalan, an up-and-coming journalist at the New York Post becomes plagued by voices in her head and seizures. As weeks progress and Susannah quickly moves deeper into insanity, her behaviors shift from violence to catatonia. After a series of tantrums, misdiagnoses, and a lengthy hospital stay, a doctor’s last-minute intervention enables him to give her a diagnosis and a chance to rebuild her life.
Brain on Fire hits Netflix on June 22nd.
