Genre

DRAMA

Brief

Maggie Hovis's life changes when she is finally correctly diagnosed with Bipolar 2. She is able to graduate law school and reunite with her true love, who happens to be a man who is not her fiance. In her research she finds out a long complex family history of mental illness and hopes her treatment will be different.

Overall Rating

GOOD

Point of View

FIRST PERSON

Narrative Elements

Authors Writing Style: GOOD

Characterization: GOOD

Commerciality: FAIR

Franchise Potential: FAIR

Pace: FAIR

Premise: FAIR

Structure: FAIR

Theme: GOOD

Accuracy of Book Profile

Yes the book profile accurately portrays Maggie as becoming successful in life despite the misconceptions and stigma of her mental illness diagnosis. There is a typo in the short summary where "of" should be "off."

Draw of Story

Maggie's first hand account of her episodes as a sufferer of Bipolar 2 were quite intriguing. The comparison between her acceptance and the prior treatment of her great aunt in the past work well to show the progress in treating mental illness, but accurately reflect how much work is left to do in the medical field and against social stigmas.

Possible Drawbacks

The idea that Nick is the end goal feels rushed as he does not become a major competition player until far later in the book. It is difficult to understand why the family is so callous and secretive about their history of mental illness without examples of the ramifications of why it must be kept secretive in the modern era where less stigma exists.

Use of Special Effects

THE STORY DOES NOT RELY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

Primary Hook of Story

The hook is that Maggie is actively seeking to mental health to realign her life. Having mental illness, one's own brain be the protagonist, is a fresh take on the self v. self conflict and a highly intriguing antagonist.

Fanbase Potential

This could have quite a large fanbase as it would appeal to most adults, but with adults suffering not only from mental health issues but the stigma around mental health. It deals with a social issue that is relevant but personal.

Awards Potential

Yes given the proper representation the social issue of getting proper treatment for mental illness and reducing the stigma this could be catnip to the awards circuit. Maggie's "two sides" provide a rich texture to her character that is then further deepened in range for the actor via their brain's adaptation to normalcy with medication. There are a lot of acting parts full of nuance that could garner acting awards. The period piece portion of Ella also adds potential for the same acting reasons as well as design elements.

Envisioned Budget

LOW BUDGET

Similar Films/TV Series

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, HOMELAND, THE HOURS, GIRL INTERRUPTED, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, STILL ALICE

What’s New About the Story

The originality of the story is showing the evolution of mental health treatment along with its stigma and the normal life of Maggie as a person with mental illness.

Lead Characters

Maggie is interesting in becoming her own self-advocate and her kindness in bringing her family healing over their history of mental illness and its treatment within their ranks. She is very driven and accomplished which makes her episodes chilling despite also being a part of her.

Uniqueness of Story

This could be a rare gem as mental illness is rarely shown so positively while not taking away the struggles of the illnesses. However, the idea of a fulfilling life having to include a male partner as the ultimate climax is less original.

Possible Formats

Film - Indie, Film - Streaming, Film - Studio

Analyst Recommendation

WORK IN PROGRESS

Justification

While the story has many positive points, it has room for improvement (see possible paths below). If you can't change the story at this point, my suggestion is using your notes as a guide to highlight the best aspects of it when taking the next steps, either putting a pitch page together, a treatment, or a presentation.

Tips for Improvement

The side characters would need more agency and Maggie deserves a climax greater than a romantic partner as her ultimate goal for a fulfilling life. Further explanation as to why the family and others place such a stigma on mental health would also help explain the family problems more easily.