God's Crooked Lines (2022)
Film · Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Stream itif you enjoy elaborate, shifting puzzles that force you to question every piece of dialogue.
An intricate mystery that constantly challenges the viewer's perception of what is real within the walls of a psychiatric hospital. It is intellectually demanding and twisty, perfect for those who enjoy being kept off-balance by a complex, unreliable narrative.
What it is about
Alice Gould, a private investigator, pretends to be mentally ill in order to enter a psychiatric hospital and gather evidence for the case she is working on: the death of a patient in unclear circumstances.
Trailer
What God's Crooked Lines is like, and who it is for
What it is like to watch
Watching this is an exercise in constant recalibration. The pacing is deliberate, allowing the clinical, 1970s atmosphere of the psychiatric hospital to settle in before the narrative starts to fracture. It feels dense and claustrophobic, driven by a central performance that keeps the viewer guessing about the lead's true mental state. The intensity builds through lengthy conversations and shifting perspectives rather than physical action.
Who it is for, and who should skip it
This is ideal for viewers who like to play detective and do not mind a long runtime. It rewards close attention and a high tolerance for narrative ambiguity. However, you should skip it if you find long-form expository dialogue tedious or if you prefer a mystery with a straightforward internal logic. The primary caveat is its length; at over two and a half hours, it demands significant stamina and focus.
The right evening for it
It suits a quiet, dedicated evening where you are prepared to engage fully with the screen. It is best watched when you have the mental energy to track multiple timelines and conflicting testimonies without distraction.
Written by our AI from the facts on this page. It has opinions; it has not watched it.
How God's Crooked Lines leaves you
One line on the mood it ends on, with no plot. Some people count that as a spoiler, so it stays hidden until you ask.
It leaves you in a state of analytical unrest, replaying scenes to find the point where the truth might have diverged. Expect to feel intellectually stimulated but perhaps a little exhausted.
How God's Crooked Lines ends
Spoilers. The whole ending, in a few lines. Nothing shows until you ask and then confirm.
The film ends with Alice attending a medical council meeting to determine her release. While Director Samuel Alvar refuses to vote, the other four doctors clear Alice, believing her claims of a conspiracy involving her husband, Heliodoro. During the aftermath of the riot, she identifies the Elephant Man as Remo's killer and receives confirmation that her bank accounts were emptied.
However, the resolution is upended when Alvar introduces Dr. Donadío. To Alice’s horror, Donadío is the man she previously identified as García del Olmo, the person she claimed had hired her for the investigation. This revelation confirms that the man she thought was an impostor was actually the doctor who recommended her internment, leaving it unclear whether her entire investigation and the conspiracy were merely products of her paranoia.
Summarised by our AI from the plot section of the Wikipedia article, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. This summary is shared under the same licence.
Stills
Images from TMDB.
If you like this, try
Shutter Island (2010)
the same paranoia-drenched investigation within a high-security psychiatric facility
The Invisible Guest (2016)
the same intricate structure of shifting truths from the same director
The Snake Pit (1948)
a similarly grounded look at the disorienting nature of institutionalised life
Suggested by our AI for what they share with this one. Linked titles have a page here; the rest are worth a search on the browse page.
God's Crooked Lines soundtrack
Music by Fernando Velázquez
Awards
Awards and nominationsShow
- Won: Gaudí Award for Best Costume Design · 2023
- Won: Gaudí Award for Best Makeup · 2023
From Wikidata, which can miss some.
Questions people ask
- Is God's Crooked Lines a mind-bending film?
- Yes. On Watchlist Boosted it is tagged Mind-Bending, with a tense streak. An intricate mystery that constantly challenges the viewer's perception of what is real within the walls of a psychiatric hospital. It is intellectually demanding and twisty, perfect for those who enjoy being kept off-balance by a complex, unreliable narrative.
- How long is God's Crooked Lines?
- God's Crooked Lines runs 155 min and was released in 2022.
- Where can I watch God's Crooked Lines in Australia?
- In Australia, God's Crooked Lines is included with Netflix (all plans).
- Who composed the music for God's Crooked Lines?
- The music for God's Crooked Lines is by Fernando Velázquez.
- Is God's Crooked Lines worth watching?
- Stream it: if you enjoy elaborate, shifting puzzles that force you to question every piece of dialogue. IMDb users rate it 7.1 out of 10 from 27,150 votes and TMDB users 7.3.
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