55 Steps

Colette Hughes (Hilary Swank) is a San Francisco patients' rights lawyer fighting an uphill battle against a powerful psychiatric establishment unwilling to cede its ability to medicate patients whenever and however it wants. Colette and her mentor, Mort Cohen (Jeffrey Tambor), agree to represent Eleanor Riese (Helena Bonham Carter), an eccentric but disarmingly wise woman who claims she and others in the same hospital were medicated excessively and against their will. It isn't that Eleanor refuses meds; she is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and requires pharmaceuticals to retain her independence. Rather, she demands the right to give informed consent. Meeting fierce resistance at every step, Eleanor's legal team fight tooth and nail for their client's well-being. In Eleanor, Colette gains a new friend who enters like a whirlwind, challenging her to tend to her own welfare and ultimately changing her life. (Toronto International Film Festival)