Nise - The Heart of Madness

After leaving prison, Dra. Nise da Silveira is back at work in a psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro and refuses to employ the new and violent electroshock in the treatment of schizophrenics. Ridiculed by doctors, she is forced to take the abandoned Sector for Occupational Therapy, where she would start a revolution through paints, dogs and love.

  • Roberto Berliner
    Director
  • Roberto Berliner
    Writer
  • Patricia Andrade
    Writer
  • Leonardo Rocha
    Writer
  • Chris Alcazar
    Writer
  • Flávia Castro
    Writer
  • Mauricio Lissovsky
    Writer
  • Maria Camargo
    Writer
  • Rodrigo Letier
    Producer
  • Gloria Pires
    Key Cast
  • Fabricio Boliveira
    Key Cast
  • Simone Mazzer
    Key Cast
  • Júlio Adrião
    Key Cast
  • Claudio Jaborandy
    Key Cast
  • Bernardo Marinho
    Key Cast
  • Roney Villela
    Key Cast
  • Flavio Bauraqui
    Key Cast
  • Augusto Madeira
    Key Cast
  • Felipe Rocha
    Key Cast
  • Georgiana Góes
    Key Cast
  • Roberta Rodrigues
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Nise - O Coração da Loucura
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 48 minutes 54 seconds
  • Country of Origin:
    Brazil
  • Language:
    Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival
    Rio de Janeiro
    Audience Award - Best Film
  • São Paulo International Film Festival
    São Paulo
  • Tokyo International Film Festival
    Tokyo
    Best Film, Best Actress
  • Glasgow International Film Festival
    Glasgow
Director Biography - Roberto Berliner


Roberto Berliner has built a prestigious career directing music videos, commercials and documentaries. Born in June 1957, he started working in film and video in 1978. From 2005 to 2013 he directed several documentaries such as Born to be Blind (IDFA, 2004), Pindorama (AFI, 2008), Herbert Up Close (2009) and Ruckus at the Circus (2013). In 2014 he completed his first fiction feature, the comedy Julio’s Gone. Nise is his second fiction film.

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Director Statement

Nise was always against the common sense, has always searched for her own truth, has never rested, has never corrupted. She has always searched for her ideals, from the beggining untill the end of her life. This movie had to be done for the audience to know an extraordinary woman, an example in times of ethical and ideological crisis, like the one we’re living now.