The title of God’s Crooked Lines refers to why a higher authority with so much power would draw the line at helping people with mental health issues in need, based on Torcuato Luca de Tena’s novel of the same name. The story follows Alice (Barabara Lennie), a private investigator who begins masquerading as a patient institutionalized in an asylum for attempting to poison her husband, Heliodoro (Pau and his Brother David Selvas).
Why is she pretending? Alice was hired to investigate the death of Dr. Damian Garcia del Olmo’s (Lluís Soler) son, who committed suicide, and the good doctor thinks there was a coverup. Alice even lies to her husband about her whereabouts, as del Olmo requested complete anonymity. Of course, when she enters, she gets more than she can handle, and the staff may be just as dangerous as their patients. And, of course, the longer she stays, the deeper things go, and the more others around question her motives.
The film is essentially a long battle of wills and wits. According to Alice, de Olmo contacted the head of the facility, Dr. Alvar, about the plan. Here, part of the cover is that Alice has a psychiatrist, Dr. Donadio, write a letter. Part of it says never to believe her lies. She wants to believe Alice was admitted because her husband had legally kidnapped her. This gives her a plausible excuse for why she is not mentally ill. She can now investigate del Olmo’s son’s death. This is explored in alternative timelines, in what first appears to be flashbacks, showing a dead young man in his cell. He was killed from being crushed and stab wounds. How can this be suicide? That is what Alice is there to find out.
Alice’s motives begin to unravel when she is attacked by one of the patients, a sexual predator named the “Gnome,” and is protected by another resident named the “Elephant” man. When Alice wakes up later, her attacker is dead and the head of the facility, Dr. Alvar, accuses her of the murder and does not know her plan. She requests a meeting with the officials at the facility, where she calmly explains how she was hired, how she lied to her husband, and how she faked the letter from Dr. Donadio. Alice even studied paranoia to enter the facility. She now claims Alvar is lying about his role because he would be exposed by forging documentation to get Alice into the facility.
However, while most of the staff is skeptical, they are troubled by Alvar’s refusal to investigate further. He, though, does prepare his theory for the group. Alice tries to kill her husband multiple times, and he finally realizes what she is up to. Alvar claims she is a classic and charming narcissist who turns deadly when she doesn’t get her way. And, when she married her handsome spouse, she realized that he only married her for her incredible wealth. Alcar thinks this was when she fabricated a nonsense story about entering the facility over pretenses. Her ego cannot handle the fact she is mentally ill and needs help with her condition. They attempted to call Dr. Donadio to confirm he never wrote the letter, but he could not be reached. Was there no Dr. Donadio?
So, at this point, you will notice two things not discussed in the movie. One, the flashbacks point to the fact Alvar had something to do with de Olmo’s son’s death. Why would he deny that he forged documentation when that would offer him the perfect cover in being complicit in not being involved in the homicide? Second, something obvious, why would anyone be a private investigator if they are wealthy beyond belief? I mean, this is not precisely Hercule Poirot or Benoit Blanc. So, when Alvar brings in a man for Alice to talk to, she thinks it has to be a police officer. It is Dr. de Olmo. However, this is not the de Olmo that dropped Alice off at the facility. So, it now appears that Alice is suffering a psychotic break.
Again, Alice’s story changes because she is not crazy, and she must have been tricked. Her husband must have planted a picture of the fake del Olmo in a paper, placed the face in her head, and hired an actor to play him. Why would he do that? For one good reason. And you probably know the answer. Money. Alice convinces the doctors on staff to help investigate. If her bank accounts are empty, her husband stole them, which would explain why no one can locate him because he is on the run. They find that she is now, in fact, broke, and a large donation made to the facility is found in Alice’s file. This suggests Alvar was paid off.
In a surprise development, the flashbacks involving the death are masked but are in the present day. So, this wasn’t a flashback, but it can be called a flash-forward in the future. Alice started the fire to escape. The dead body is one of the twins, Romulus and Remus, who the Elephant man killed because one of them killed his friend who attacked Alice. That boy was Remus, but the killer mistook Romulus for him. Alice uses all this as she investigates the brutal murder and solves the crime to the police called into the facility. This gives Alice enough credibility to get a board meeting to vote on her sanity to be freed.
God’s Crooked Lines ending explained – how does Alvar prove Alice’s story is fabricated?
At the meeting, Alvar will excuse himself from the vote if they accept his resignation letter and send it to the man who hired him. He points out the failure of mental health professionals to support each other’s clinical judgments. The board votes and they are unanimous in letting Alice go. Before Alvar leaves, he takes one last swing at proving his diagnosis.
How does Alvar prove Alice’s story is fabricated? He turns around and announces they cannot reach Dr. Donadio because he is traveling with his wife and he is outside. Alvar leaves and Donadio walks in. It is the man Alice knew as Dr. Damian Garcia del Olmo! “Alice, what have you gotten yourself into now?” he asks. The camera looks closely at Alice, and you see her snap in her mind again, searching for why she is not mentally ill.
As you can see, Alice’s story and theories did not keep changing because of the plot, but she kept adjusting the tall tale to make excuses for why her ego could not handle the fact she needed help.
*For the more significant context, while the film ends on that note, the book ends with Alice leaving, but she chooses to go back inside to seek the help she needs.
What did you think of the ending of the Netflix film God’s Crooked Lines? Comment below.
What the actual fuckety f**k f**k…..
The twist at the end woah! I lowkey expected it tho the entire time that’s how mystery movies are. And also that line “the truth is whatever you want it to be” I knew she was seriously troubled, great movie tbh.
Seriously WTF!! Pisses me off so bad THIS ENDING!!!! Is bullshit!!!
Shock upon shock upon shock. I need a Dr.
This to me was like that Leonardo Decapio’s movie shutter Island
I think I need to check my sanity after watching this movie. Great movie. I knew she was manipulating and was dangerous.
So much back & forth plots going on – I was totally confused. Not sure this movie was my time well spent.
I agree with all of the above!..especially with back and forth plots.
Great plot, but verrry confusing!!! And why did the twin think she was their mother? And expected another twist with the “sister” of the twins????
SPOILER
I think the moment I knew she really was unwell, was during her sedated times.
The scene of lots of herself made me think she was almost multi personality. The wild dancer, the private eye at the typewriter, the quiet her at the wall and so many others.
I think that was her most lucid time.
Good acting, she has that Susan Sarandon vibe about her. Well worth a watch. 7-8/10
I loved this movie and would give it 5 stars but I had to watch it a few times to put the puzzle together.Some things were amiss like the sister how she started at the water guy breaking her neck and the husband should’ve been shown living it up on the Riviera! Yup but I think Alice was mentally ill with narsisism. How did she do that autopsy if she wasn’t a detective or a coroner? She was an evil genius. The movie should win an Oscar or something.
Plain rubbish
This is probably the best suspenseful movies I’ve ever seen..it’s should be nominated ..I will give an Oscar
I LOVED THIS MOVIE. ALICE WAS COMPLICATED, INTELLIGENT AND MENTALLY ILL.
THE ENDING ” ALICE WHAT HAVE YOU GOTTEN YOURSELF INTO NOW? WAS A SURPRISE SINCE I WANTED HER TO BE SANE.
I WOULD ALSO GIVE THIS MOVIE AN OSCAR.
TIME WELL SPENT WATCHING IT.
Visual cue: she looks at herself in the cracked mirror.
Crooked lines, anyone.
To those who hate the ending. Yes, she’s crazy. But she kept us guessing till the end
This is like Memento all over again. Chasing our own tails.
She had me fooled until the end
Why did Dr. Alvar resign if he was right about Alice and even had Dr. Donadío to confirm it? Also, in that case, how does Alice know the contents of the sealed letter given to Dr. Castell in the beginning?
I don’t understand how she is committed and talks about this murder before it actually happened. This whole time of her investigating the murder must be made up in her head after it happened but I don’t know how that can fit the story.
I like the comment about the scene with multiple her, how she is a camilion playing what ever role suits her.
Fantastic movie. Had me interested the entire film, which is rare these days. If Netflix made this, Bravo. Please have the director make more films. Every month lol. And please give it a chance if you like intelligent thrillers.
To Nar Adani: How did she know the contents of the sealed letter? In one of Alice’s confessions/depositions later in the movie she admits to writing and postmarking the letter herself.
So the doctor came to her in the end, but the husband never showed up. I was kind of confused that the doctor they brought in earlier in the movie they she did not recognize him, but at the end they brought in the guy she recognized I was confusing to me anyone knows an answer. Please let me know.
She was delusional….The book makes it explicit…The movie however will p**s a lot of people because the director wants us to find it out for ourselves…which is almost impossible to do. The ending needed to be “explicit”
She was “crazy”. The book makes it explicit. The movie will annoy a lot of people. I guess the director wanted to let the audience decide for themselves which with all the manipulations and lies and facts left behind on purpose it is almost impossible to do.
I worked in Psych Unit for 36 yrs, and it indeed amazed me how a hebephrenic schizophrenia is hard to treat. their mind is intricately massively convoluted and like a knot hard to undo ! Good Movie , well acted but the flashbacks and the editing confused me too, and I also seem to believe her at some point.