Film review: 'Christine'

"In keeping with Channel 40's policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first — attempted suicide." Those are the words spoken by Sarasota news reporter Christine Chubbuck just before shooting herself in the head on live TV in 1974.

Director Antonio Campos' new film, "Christine," examines what factors may have led up to this horrific decision made by an ambitious 29-year-old with a promising career. Rebecca Hall plays Christine, a disturbed but visionary young woman who saw where news reporting was heading. But her superiors and peers at the station were not on board with Christine's belief that issue-based journalism was to be the wave of the future. 

Her station manager (Tracey Letts) insists that his employees make their stories "juicy." Even more troubling, he borrows the quote, "If it bleeds, it leads" to entice his crew into driving up shaky ratings. Christine's relentless pursuit of delivering a more serious brand of reporting doesn't sit well with management, and her increasingly erratic behavior undermines her credibility.

Christine begins to unravel.

A bad episode in Boston forces Christine to relocate in Sarasota, vaguely alluding to prior mental health issues. Physically, she's also suffering. Her dream of having children is dashed when she's diagnosed with ovarian problems. And at this point she's a virgin. Disillusioned, delusional and at her wit's end, Christine cracks.

Hall's portrayal of a woman spiraling into madness is magnificent and heartbreaking. She earns our sympathy as well as our empathy in a difficult role and does so with such clarity that we're caught off guard. Campos' brilliant direction is in perfect tandem with Hall's performance, creating the ticking time bomb that was Christine.

Just to note: If you are expecting to recognize familiar Sarasota landmarks, you won't. The film was shot in Georgia. The only thing uniquely Sarasota in the film is Christine's copy of The Observer quite often in hand.