3/3 12:00 PM, Camera 12
3/10 9:45 PM, California Theatre
3/12 7:30 PM, Camera 12

This strange Dutch film follows a young woman’s descent into madness following the birth of her first child. The first half or so of the film feels like a horror movie as Lea lets her handsome husband talk her into having a baby, endures a traumatic birth, and falls prey to postpartum psychosis. Her failure to adjust to the changes in her life collides with long-repressed emotional turmoil from her childhood, and she has to either choose to get her life back on track or give in to her demons. This isn’t a film for everyone — the graphic labor and childbirth sequences are harrowing and Lea’s unraveling is frighteningly convincing. Those who are suited, however, will find themselves treated to a tour-de-force performance from Carice van Houten as Lea and a tightly-written and beautifully-shot film.