Six Schizophrenic Brothers (Max)

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Six Schizophrenic Brothers:

In this case, a .500 average is very bad.

Quick synopsis:

The story of a family of 12 children of which 6 would turn out to be schizophrenic.

Fact for Non-History People:

Schizophrenia is one of the top 15 causes of disability worldwide.

Fact for History Nerds:

In the U.S., cases of schizophrenia occur in about .25% to .64% of the population.

My Take on Six Schizophrenic Brothers:

There is palpable fear in the documentary Six Schizophrenic Brothers on Max. You know the number of brothers who will develop the illness, but their descent into the disease is truly terrifying. The premise is simple. The Galvin family had 12 children. Six sons would develop schizophrenia. The family tried to stick together. There is murder. There is suicide. It is a brutal documentary, but the story of how this family is torn apart is riveting. This is lucky for the people who put this documentary together because they really fumbled with how they pieced it together. Allow me to explain, but keep in mind, I still think you should watch it.

This documentary needed to avoid trying to be cute or experimental. There are numerous time jumps, stories are jumbled, and it becomes hard to remember who is who and what their stories are. After all, there are 12 children! This would have been much easier to follow and process if the documentarians just started from the beginning and kept to a linear timeline. Also, some big questions are never truly answered. The science of what happened is barely explored. There is a lack of closure with the surviving children as well. This is not a terrible documentary, but it could have been so much better.

All that said, almost all the surviving children take part including those who are institutionalized. This could have seemed exploitative, but it comes off more as a chance for the viewer to see schizophrenia and realize it is a sickness just like many others.

I wish it was done better, but I still recommend it.

Verdict:

Imperfect, but the story is worth the shortcomings. Watch it here!

If You Liked This Try:

• Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist (Netflix)