Lorna Collins experienced a catastrophic brain injury at the age of 18 and spent the next 20 years going in and out of psychiatric hospitals, including the infamous Esquirrol asylum in Paris, subjected to humiliating treatment and assault, before art became her pathway to recovery from crippling anorexia. This film follows her evolution from comatose patient to flourishing artist, taking us on a journey into her darkly strange and cinematic imagination. Viewers are invited to inhabit and see beyond the stages that define mental illness.

This is a film about 20 years of being detained in mental asylums following a severe traumatic brain injury, and how I eventually found healing and sense by making art. The film shoes how, during my illness, making art — painting, writing, performance, film — helped me find a narrative that would say what words could not. Being creative, I could express what was inexpressible (sheer agony and torment). What I produced (art, words, film) then provided both testimony of my experiences and medicine, to ease the pain I felt. The art media opened truth, catharsis, connection with others, and empathy.

Film provides a medium to tell my story. I say things in this film that I have not spoken about before. The film gets to the raw, elemental stages of my psyche, and builds a narrative about recovery. This makes me feel both highly vulnerable and empowered. I open myself in this film; you can see me. 

I hope to offer hope. The film shows how I made a full recovery from my illness. I found wellness and opened a new life for myself, through my creativity. Art set me free.

“Writing the World Backwards” has been shown and acclaimed in festivals around the world:

• This Is My Brave International Mental Health Film Festival, Canberra, Australia 10/10/2021.
• REEL RECOVERY FILM FESTIVAL, streamed on Film Festival Flix, 11/11/2021.
• Doncaster ArtBomb Festival, Doncaster, UK, 5-8/08/21.
• FACE Film Festival, Young Creative Leaders, online 24/11/2021.
• The Short Film Breaks, ‘BEST MENTAL HEALTH FILM Silver Elephant Medal’, 2021.
• Courage Film Festival, Semi-finalist, Berlin, Germany, 2021.
• 17th NYC Mental Health Film Festival, Village East Cinema in New York City, 18/02/2023.

Film produced by Lorna Collins, directed by Angela Robson.