Mad in America affiliate, Mad in Norway, is hosting an international film festival from September 24-26 in Lillehammer, Norway. Each week, we will feature a film. This week is 10 Days in a Madhouse.
Short synopsis from IMDb
In 1887, 23-year-old reporter Nellie Bly, working for Joseph Pulitzer, feigns mental illness to go undercover in notorious Blackwell’s Island, a mental institution for women, to expose corruption, abuse, and murder.
Summary
Nelly Bly was the pen name of a determined young woman who, in 1887, pushed her way into journalism at a time when the profession was almost entirely dominated by men. Working for the New York World, she took on an assignment few others would dare: going undercover inside a women’s psychiatric institution. Despite the editor’s warning that he could not promise her safe release, Bly accepted the risk.
Motivated by her ambition and curiosity, she devised a plan to feign mental illness in order to be committed to the Women’s Lunatic Asylum at Bellevue Hospital. To make her act convincing, she stayed at a boarding house for working women and began behaving erratically—speaking nonsensically and appearing disoriented. It didn’t take long for a doctor to be called, who quickly pronounced her insane and beyond recovery.
She was sent to Blackwell’s Island, just outside Manhattan, where the patients could glimpse the city they were cut off from. Inside the asylum, she discovered harsh and inhumane conditions, with neglect and cruelty inflicted on vulnerable women. After ten days, a lawyer arrived with an order for her release, ending her dangerous experiment.
Once free, Bly published her account, sparking public outrage and prompting investigations that exposed corruption and abuse within the institution. Her work not only led to reforms but also cemented her legacy as a pioneering journalist who helped open doors for women in the field. The story stands as a powerful reminder of how easily injustice can be justified when people are dehumanized—and how courage and truth can challenge it.
More info: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3453052/?ref_=fn_t_2
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This and many other films will be presented at the Mad in Norway International Film Festival in Lillehammer, Norway September 24 – 26, 2026.
Please visit Mad in Norway International Film Festival’s website at madinnorwayfilmfest.org to find out more about this film, festival programming, tickets, and other information. We hope to see you there!
And stay tuned here each week for more exciting films!
