Her Name Is Sabine

The disheartening failure of specialized institutions and the irreparably damaging effect that they can have on the ailing patients that they purport to help are highlighted in actress-turned-filmmaker Sandrine Bonnaire's intimate portrait of her autistic sister Sabine. Sabine Bonnaire is a thirty-eight year old woman who has struggled with autism since childhood. Despite her mysterious and increasingly common disorder, however, it was an inadequate health care paradigm - not her lifelong affliction - that has wrecked the most devastating consequences on Sabine's life. A woman whose endearing personality, numerous talents, and remarkable potential for growth were tragically devastated by a five-year stay in an inadequate psychiatric hospital, Sabine was eventually able to stage a remarkable recovery thanks to the unwavering support of her family and friends. Featuring remarkable footage filmed over a twenty-five year period by Sabine's closest sister, Elle s'appelle Sabine presents the plight of the autistic from the unique perspective of two people who have lived and learned from the widely misunderstood disorder.~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide