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God's Crooked Lines

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Oriol Paulo

Bárbara Lennie

Eduard Fernández

Loreto Mauleón

Pablo Derqui

Adelfa Calvo

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘God’s Crooked Lines’ on Netflix, A Twisty Murder Mystery Set Inside an Asylum

Where to stream:.

• God's Crooked Lines

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A truism often attributed to Dostoyevsky posits: “the degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.” Netflix original God’s Crooked Lines asks if the same could be said for Spain’s mental institutions in the late 1970s. When a detective immerses herself in an asylum to find the truth about the mysterious death of a patient, she ends up finding out less about the lives of those who roam – and control – the institution.

GOD’S CROOKED LINES : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Damián García del Olmo dies within the walls of an asylum, setting off a chain of events that leads to the entry of private investigator Alice Garcia (Bárbara Lennie) to solve the case. She presents herself under the guise of a patient so she can get a ground-level view of the institution and suss out the suspects. With the help of a self-aware and smart inmate Ignacio (Pablo Derqui), she begins to get a clearer view of the patients and their care.

The deeper she gets into her sleuthing, the more she begins to suspect something off with the doctors led by Samuel Alvar (Eduard Fernández). But homing in on them as implicated in the death triggers a strong defensive response, using their power as the designated authorities to question whether or not Alice is who and what she says. They wield a frayed relationship with her husband, who managed to evade death by poisoning several times, as a cudgel to delegitimize her efforts to find the truth. Nothing is as it seems in this psychiatric ward, including potentially Alice.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: God’s Crooked Lines starts out like a spin on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest with a *seemingly* sane person entering an asylum. But it quickly turns into Shutter Island as Alice finds her new environs anything but a wonderland, raising the question of whether she’s being gaslit, whether the institution made her go insane, or if she’s been like this all along.

Performance Worth Watching: Given the number of twists and turns of fate in Alice’s story, it’s on actress Bárbara Lennie to ground the proceedings in the immediate psychological reality of the character. It’s a tough task that she proves capable of pulling off with grace and grit.

Memorable Dialogue: “If God created us in his image and likeness, like a sculpture with no imperfections,” posits the asylum’s head Samuel Alvar, “the patients who end up here would be like God’s crooked lines when he was learning to write.” Obviously, any explanation of an unusual title grabs attention, but this one provides additional intrigue as it’s a queasy description of the institution’s patients, to say the least.

Sex and Skin: The only nudity in the film is incidental within the prison walls, so don’t expect any titillation from a cavity search or a communal shower.

Our Take: God’s Crooked Lines starts strong but eventually sinks under the weight of its own complexity. At over two-and-a-half hours, this mystery adapted from Torcuato Luca de Tena’s novel is dense with enough game-changing developments. At a certain point, it feels like co-screenwriter and director Oriol Paulo just loses the thread. The wheels start to fall off when outright bedlam opens up inside the asylum, plunging us into outright “gaslight gatekeep girlboss” territory with Alice. The filmmaking is ultimately not strong enough to merit the amount of mental energy required to keep up with a world in which every motivation or moment can be second-guessed.

Our Call: SKIP IT. The ambiguities of God’s Crooked Lines only serve to inspire ambivalence. Flashes of intrigue and undeniable intentionality will undeniably draw in some patient viewers. But the film does not make a strong enough case for how much effort it would take to come to one’s own answer to the unresolved ending by untangling the web of competing narratives.

Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, Little White Lies and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.

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Home » Movies » Movie Reviews

God’s Crooked Lines Review and Ending Explained – A Patient Thriller That Rewards the Viewer for their Time

God’s Crooked Lines is a bit of a chore and time commitment, considering the run time alone. That’s even if you’re a fan of sensationalized melodrama, which this film leans towards. While the script tends to steer away from more serious issues of how the medical community and ourselves view and treat mental health, there is much to like here in the Torcuato Luca de Tena adaptation , including a scintillating lead performance, a well-constructed script, and an overall tone that is not easy to shake.

Table of Contents

• God's Crooked Lines Review and Plot summary
• Is God's Crooked Lines worth watching?
• God's Crooked Lines Ending Explained - How Does Alvar Prove Alice's Story is Fabricated?

God’s Crooked Lines Review and Plot summary

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 of 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 ‘s David Selvas). Now, why would anyone do that? Look over the great (fictional) PIs of our time, like Hercule Poirot or Benoit Blanc. They don’t do it for the money or the fame but to seek the truth and bring justice to those who need it.

Alice’s mission is to investigate the death of Dr. Damian Garcia del Olmo’s (Lluís Soler) son, who committed suicide. 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, a classic horror trope, when she enters, she gets more than she can handle, and the staff may be just as dangerous as their patients. The longer alive stays, the more others question her motives.

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.

Alice wants to make everyone believe she was admitted because her husband had legally kidnapped her. This gives her a plausible excuse for why Alice is not mentally ill. She can now investigate del Olmo’s son’s death without suspicion. There is an additional exploration of this subject in an alternative timeline. In what first appears to be flashbacks, showing a dead young man in his cell. He dies from a crushing blow and stab wounds. How can this be suicide?

Directed by Oriol Paola, who helped write the script with Guillem Clua and Lara Sendim, it may appear to have too many hands in the cookie jar. However, the labyrinth plot and the extraordinary way timelines are brought together suggest brilliant teamwork.

Here, we have a genre of a Spanish film called esperanza masquerading as an unsettling psychological thriller, a somewhat exaggerated, sensationalized, and melodramatic work that wants to expose and say something about society’s truths.

Here, we can only speculate, but Tena’s novel explores power, cancel culture, and how they converge. Perhaps navigating the current world we live in with disinformation is easier said than done.

The film suffers from some red hearings and too many characters to not offer anything but distractions and have greater context in the novel. At a massive running time of 155 minutes, the film shows extraordinary patience in plotting to sway the viewer’s opinion in multiple directions.

The flashback scenes are well done. When these plot points converge, it may remind you of such films as Rendition . The writers use great finesse and make this task look much easier than it is.

All of this means the performance by Lennie is quite extraordinary, especially in a film of this length and with how much screen time she has. From when she enters the facility as a wealthy aristocrat to her haunting final framed shot, few actors can carry such melodramatic material for that time frame and still make you care about where the film ends. It’s a performance that won’t get the credit it deserves.

Is God’s Crooked Lines worth watching?

The film is essentially a long battle of wills and wits between Lennie’s Alice and Fernandez’s Alvar. While the film may have been better served as a miniseries to hit and emphasize plot points with greater emphasis, God’s Crooked Lines is an extraordinarily patient psychological thriller, one that rewards viewers for their time and dedication, especially for fans of the genre.

God’s Crooked Lines Ending Explained – How Does Alvar Prove Alice’s Story is Fabricated?

God’s Crooked Lines (Credit – Netflix)

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.

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 God’s Crooked Lines, and ending? Comment below.

Article by Marc Miller

Marc Miller (also known as M.N. Miller) joined Ready Steady Cut in April 2018 as a Film and TV Critic, publishing over 1,600 articles on the website. Since a young age, Marc dreamed of becoming a legitimate critic and having that famous “Rotten Tomato” approved status – in 2023, he achieved that status.

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User reviews

God's Crooked Lines

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• stephane-372-906609
• Dec 19, 2022

Smoke and Mirrors

• albertval-69560
• Dec 9, 2022

Pleasantly Surprised

• Jan 16, 2023

Just recommended to people.

• TreeFiddy53
• Dec 12, 2022

Last plot twist didn't work for me

• Dec 10, 2022

Not new, but not boring (if you can stand a slow pace film)

• Movie_Rating_n_Ranking
• Dec 13, 2022

Good mystery drama with interesting plotline

• gabriel_sanchez
• Jan 10, 2023

Oriol Paulo does it again

• otnememento-2
• Dec 8, 2022

When Oriol Paulo meets Nolan...!!!

• PANDIAN120621
• Dec 31, 2022

Wrong final...

• erhanipekciler
• Dec 17, 2022

Brilliant movie, 10 out of 10 for script, actors, soundtrack and overall depth!

• Dec 11, 2022

The Scorpion Sanatorium...

• Dec 21, 2022

Book ending was way better

• Dec 18, 2022

Complexity before storyline

• nielshenrikkrogh
• Apr 19, 2023

Somewhat disappointing

• Oct 30, 2022

Pretty much a spanish version of "Shutter Island"

• Erik_Surewaard

Let it be, be insane and it deserves a 9

• Dec 29, 2022

timeline confusion

Underrated film of 2022.

• AzimAzimzade

A good thriller needs logical explanations.

• Dec 25, 2022
• Dec 15, 2022

Oriol Paulo may truly be one of the modern masters of thrill! [+68%]

• arungeorge13
• Dec 16, 2022

Ultimately construed inconsistent and frustrating

• svozil-706-642770
• Dec 30, 2022

The sweet mess

• Dec 14, 2022

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God’s Crooked Lines Ending, Explained: Is Alice Mentally Ill or Sane?

Netflix’s ‘God’s Crooked Lines’ is a Spanish psychological thriller film directed by Oriol Paulo. Originally titled ‘Los renglones torcidos de Dios,’ the movie is an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Torcuato Luca de Tena. The story follows Alice, a private investigator who poses as a mentally ill person and admits herself to an asylum. Her true motive is to uncover the truth behind a potential murder inside the asylum, but as she learns about the hospital, she realizes something bigger is at play.

Alice’s mental health is one of the film’s biggest mysteries. The various doctors and staff question Alice and themselves about the true nature of her mental state. Toward the end, we seem to reach an absolute answer, but a final twist leaves us in a dilemma. The narrative is left open-ended, and the audience wonders what is true and what isn’t. Well, allow us to appease your curiosity. Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of ‘God’s Crooked Lines.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!

God’s Crooked Lines Plot Synopsis

‘God’s Crooked Lines’ is set in 1979 in a mental asylum named Our Lady of Fountain Hospital. Dr. Teodoro Ruipérez, one of the doctors at the hospital, receives information about Alice from Dr. Donadio. The latter tells that Alice is a compulsive liar and an extremely manipulative person who can entrap anyone in her web of lies. When Alice reaches the hospital, she asks for Director Samuel Alvar and learns he will return only after two to three weeks. After Dr. Ruipérez asks about Alice and her relationship with her husband, he diagnoses her with paranoia. He talks about how she poisoned her husband three times and tried to kill him. But Alice denies those allegations despite expressing animosity toward her partner.

As the narrative progresses, Alice reveals to another doctor, César Arellano, she is a private investigator whose only aim is to find out about the death of a former patient named Damian del Olmo. Alice explains Damian’s father, Garcia, tasked her with the job, and only Dr. Damuel Alvar knows about her assignment in the asylum. Initially, Arellano doesn’t believe her, but as the narrative progresses, she gains his confidence. Alice snoops around the hospital, gets access to Damian’s files, and wonders why Dr. Samuel Alvar never informed the police about it.

When Dr. Alvar returns to the asylum, he says he doesn’t know Alice, and the two haven’t ever spoken. Alice says that he’s lying and behaves violently. Due to her actions, Dr. Alvar gives her a sedative, and later, she gets a chance to explain everything to Ruipérez, Arellano, Alvar, and a few other staff at the hospital. Alice describes how she lied to  Ruipérez when they first met. The investigator says everything is perfectly alright with Heliodoro and reveals how Heliodoro introduced her to Garcia del Olmo. Alice reiterates her mission and asks people to vet her story. After the story is over, she sees a person who says he is Garcia del Olmo. Alice cannot recognize the person and the staff members question the legitimacy of her accounts.

As the movie progresses, Alice tries to prove her mental stability while Samuel Alvar applies his most aggressive methods to treat her. During one of his procedures, Alice gets an epiphany and realizes that her husband planned the entire thing with Dr. Alvar. According to her, Heliodoro wanted Alice’s wealth and money, so he trapped her by drawing her attention toward a fake case. Alice says her husband is powerful enough to influence Alvar and make another man pose as Garcia del Olmo. Toward the end, Alice convinces the staff about her sanity, but Dr. Alvar doesn’t budge from his analysis. After the board votes on whether Alice is ill, Dr. Alvar summons Dr. Donadio to prove his point, and Alice doesn’t seem to recognize him either. So, is Alice sane, or is she ill? Let us find out.

God’s Crooked Lines Ending: Is Alice Gould Mentally Ill or Sane?

The ending of ‘ God’s Crooked Lines ‘ comes down to a simple question – Is Alice lying or not? Throughout the movie, the hospital staff sways between the two possibilities. Each revelation leads them to change their stance, and the movie’s end leaves them on an eerily uncertain note. Why doesn’t Alice recognize Dr. Donadio? Is she cooking up another explanation in her mind? Well, here are our theories.

Theory 1: Alice Gould is Mentally Ill

Alice Gould might be mentally ill in ‘God’s Crooked Lines.’ We do not know much about Alice’s past and her relationship with her husband. We only know that she might have poisoned Heliodoro thrice before he realized it. But the movie never mentions the motive behind her actions. If we look closely, we can infer the probable motive from several instances, habits, and traits. In addition, her mannerisms might also prove Alice is a compulsive liar and manipulator. One of Alice’s significant characteristics might be narcissism; we see it manifest on different occasions. Alice discredits Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual theory, which was prevalent in 1979. Every time someone tends to disagree with Alice, she turns against them. Dr. Alvar becomes her nemesis because he is not ready to believe her lies like the others. Owing to his experience, he understands that condition Alice suffers from.

Alice’s superiority complex might lead her to poison her husband. Although she says she studied chemistry and later became a private investigator, we never see her do anything related to both fields. We see her involved only with Damian’s case, which seems odd. On the other hand, Alice puts her husband down in front of the doctors by saying how he only knows to play poker and polo. She also mentions that she doesn’t believe that her husband studied law. But when we look at Heliodoro, he seems to be doing more than Alice. He plays polo , interacts with various people, attends charity functions, and appears to be a part of influential circles.

When Heliodoro is talking to some women at a club, Alice gives him a look that seems to come from a place of jealousy. After all, he seems more accomplished than her. These instances show that Alice harbored jealousy and animosity toward her husband and wanted to kill him. We also see a pattern in how Alice lies and uses different pieces of information to form her truth.

At the film’s beginning, Alice says that she doesn’t like her husband, but when she gets into a problem, Alice says that everything is fine between Heliodoro and her. When Dr. Alvar doesn’t buy her explanation and performs the electroshock procedure on her, she imagines that Heliodoro is the true perpetrator behind everything. So, Alice changes her stance and blames everything on the man she wants to kill. Alice’s theories and explanations seem too convenient at all points. She lies her way through almost anything due to the lack of proof. But when Dr. Alvar proves that Alice does not know Garcia del Olmo and Dr. Donadio, Alice is at a loss for words.

Every time Alice faces reality, she goes through dissonance, and Alice convinces herself that she is right. At the end, when Dr. Donadio appears before her, we see her expression alter drastically. Alice’s mind seems to be processing the dissonance, and the audience is given the impression that Alice has been lying all along. Thus, to reiterate, Alice might be mentally ill and a compulsive liar who changes her story in a way that nobody can disprove it.

Theory 2: Alice Gould is Sane

Alice might be sane and a victim of an extensive scheme plotted by Heliodoro and Dr. Alvar. One of the significant reasons behind this conclusion is Dr. Samuel Alvar’s behavior throughout the movie. Although the man talks about healing everybody and bringing reforms to mental health institutions, he seems quite selfish. For instance, when Luis Ojedas dies, he doesn’t feel the need to inform the police. When a murder occurs in the hospital, Dr. Alvar only cares about his reputation. He calls the inspector to his office and tries to bury the matter. The two instances give us a glimpse of who Dr. Alvar is beneath the facade of a contemporary mental health specialist.

Another intriguing aspect of Dr. Alvar’s character is his behavior toward Alice. Every time Alice tries to disprove him and discredit his analysis, the man gets defensive. In one scene, he yells at her because he cannot stand Alice questioning him. If Dr. Alvar truly believed that Alice was sick, his demeanor would have been different toward her. He would be more empathetic toward Alice’s condition. A major part of therapists’ job while treating their patients is establishing trust. Dr. Alvar never tries to build that with Alice because she will likely expose him.

Besides Dr. Alvar’s mannerisms, we also discover that Heliodoro paid him two million. Thus, it becomes more obvious that he is co-conspiring with Alice’s husband and wants to prove that she is insane. When Castell finds the receipt, he says it is merely a donation from Heliodoro, which he deposited in the foundation’s account. The explanation doesn’t add up because Heliodoro doesn’t know Dr. Alvar personally. Ideally, Alice’s husband should have donated it directly to the foundation.

In the end, when everyone takes a vote on Alice’s discharge, he withdraws his vote and acts pompous. Dr. Alvar says he feels sorry for all the doctors and their incompetence because they believe in a sick patient. He gives Castell an envelope that is addressed to the Minister of Health. Dr. Alvar resigns for personal reasons and asks Castell not to file a report against him. As he is about to leave, Dr. Alvar tells how he summoned Dr. Donadio to prove that Alice is wrong. When Dr. Donadio appears, Alice is unable to recognize him. Considering how Dr. Alvar has connections in various places, it is likely that Dr. Donadio might be a conspirator too. Alice might again prove her sanity by telling the board how Dr. Alvar, Heliodoro, and Dr. Donadio plotted the scheme together.

Does Alice Leave the Mental Institution?

Alice likely leaves the mental institution because the board of doctors unanimously votes that Alice is mentally stable. Although Dr. Donadio appears in the end, Alice might find a way to explain everything. In the beginning, she says that she takes pride in getting what she wants, no matter the cost. Thus, Alice can leave the mental institution even if she is mentally ill. After all, she could have escaped after starting a fire but decided to stay back due to certain circumstances. If Alice is truly sane, the doctors will let her go, but if she is mentally ill, she will plan another strategy to run away.

Read More: Where Was God’s Crooked Lines Filmed?

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Parents' guide to, god's crooked lines.

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Common Sense Media Review

Some graphic violence, language in twisty Spanish thriller.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that God's Crooked Lines is a 2022 thriller-drama in which a private investigator feigns paranoia to investigate a murder in a psychiatric hospital. One scene involves attempted rape, resulting in the attacker being struck in the head with a log and killed. A character is killed by being…

Why Age 15+?

Attempted rape, thwarted when the assailant is struck and killed with a log. A p

"F--k" often used. Also: "s--t," "crap," "damn," "son of a bitch," and "bastard.

Nonsexual nudity: male and female patients are shown taking showers together in

Cigarette smoking. Champagne, wine, whiskey, Bloody Mary drinking.

Any Positive Content?

Movie set inside a psychiatric hospital; many of the secondary characters are pa

Parents need to know that God's Crooked Lines is a 2022 thriller-drama in which a private investigator feigns paranoia to investigate a murder in a psychiatric hospital. One scene involves attempted rape, resulting in the attacker being struck in the head with a log and killed. A character is killed by being stabbed multiple times with a large shard of glass; there are blood stains on the dead body. Some fighting includes punches, kicks, and tackles, and there's an attempted murder (poisoning). Some language includes "f--k." Nonsexual nudity: Male and female patients are shown taking showers together in a large room. Cigarette smoking and drinking appear as well.

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Violence & Scariness

Attempted rape, thwarted when the assailant is struck and killed with a log. A patient is found dead with multiple stab wounds; blood. A later scene shows him being stabbed by a thick shard of glass. Fighting: punches, kicks, tackling. Attempted murder by poisoning.

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"F--k" often used. Also: "s--t," "crap," "damn," "son of a bitch," and "bastard."

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Sex, Romance & Nudity

Nonsexual nudity: male and female patients are shown taking showers together in a large room.

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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

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Diverse Representations

Movie set inside a psychiatric hospital; many of the secondary characters are patients with various mental illnesses and they are presented with depth and dignity.

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What's the Story?

In GOD'S CROOKED LINES, Alice ( Bárbara Lennie ) is a private investigator hired to investigate the mysterious death of a patient in a psychiatric hospital. In order to do this, she must gain admittance into the hospital by pretending to suffer from paranoia. She succeeds in fooling the admitting doctor, and must quickly learn to acclimate to life inside the hospital. She meets a suave schizophrenic named Ignacio ( Pablo Derqui ) whom she initially suspects may be behind the murder. Further investigation reveals that the murder appears to be part of a cover-up by the hospital administrators, and as Alice gets closer to uncovering what happened, the head of the hospital, Dr. Alvar, uses his power to stop her. Now Alice must find a way to prove that she's not suffering from paranoia and elude Alvar's attempts to permanently leave her in the hospital to safeguard his reputation.

Is It Any Good?

This is a mostly fun, if overlong, Spanish thriller-drama. God's Crooked Lines starts off with an intriguing concept: A private investigator is hired to investigate the suspicious death of one of the patients in a psychiatric hospital. To find out what happened, she must pose as a patient checking in. It's a strong start, but it doesn't take long for the movie to get bogged down by more side stories and threads than the average anime. When it works, such as when it develops the characters suffering from mental illness in the hospital, it adds depth and heightens the story. When it doesn't, one begins to feel the seconds tick away in this two-hour-and-35-minute movie.

Indeed, for as good as it is at times, there's a lingering sense that the movie could've been at least half an hour shorter without sacrificing much. However, the story twists are a great time, leaving the audience guessing who's being honest and who isn't. The directing is also fantastic, and the acting among the main and secondary characters is solid. It probably rewards a second or third viewing, provided one has the time.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about thriller-dramas like God's Crooked Lines . How was this similar to and different from other movies like this that you've seen?

This movie is based on a novel. What would be some of the challenges in adapting a novel into a movie?

How does the movie depict those who struggle with mental illness? Does it seem accurate, and are they depicted with dignity rather than in a way that might be exploitative or sensationalistic?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : December 9, 2022
• Cast : Bárbara Lennie , Pablo Derqui , Eduard Fernández
• Director : Oriol Paulo
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Drama
• Run time : 154 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : February 17, 2023

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God's Crooked Lines Movie Review: A terrific thriller powered by top-notch performances

Rating: ( 3.5 / 5).

Oriol Paulo’s latest twisted thriller,  God’s Crooked Lines —unlike recent thrillers that are over-reliant on action set-pieces—has reams and reams of dialogues. Right from when we first set eyes on the protagonist, Alice Gould (Barbara Lennie), the film pulls us into a labyrinth of truth and lies. This intricate web becomes more complex with every minute—and every dialogue precariously perches itself on the thin line between sanity and insanity. 

God’s Crooked Lines is set in an asylum where a private investigator Alicia Gould admits herself to find the reason behind the death of an inmate. She manages to hoodwink the system and enters the asylum by faking a case of extreme paranoia. However, she is forced to prove her sanity to the doctors in the asylum after a trusted aide turns on her. With overwhelming evidence against her, Alice’s desperate measures to find believers in her story is what makes  God’s Crooked Lines such an intriguing watch.

Director: Oriol Paulo

Cast: Barbara Lennie, Eduard Fernandez, Loreto Mauleon, Pablo Derqui

Language: Spanish

Streaming on: Netflix

The portrayal of the asylum inmates might be generic to a fault, and should have been left in the 70s era in which the film is set in. However, these characters are still peppered with enough layers to keep us engaged for 150-odd minutes. Based on the book of the same name, God’s Crooked Lines is written by Oriol, Guillem Clua, and Lara Sendim, and the screenplay structure is a big plus. While we are left to grapple with Alice’s struggle to prove her sanity to the world, we are also jumping timelines to see the murder of an inmate and the escape of another. The way these timelines coalesce is a writing masterstroke. 

Invariably, you end up making Shutter Island comparisons, since this too is about a private investigator entering an asylum. Both are period films, book adaptations, and contain brilliant performances.  God’s Crooked Lines , however, is definitely its own beast. Barbara Lennie owns the screen whenever she comes into focus. Be it the genial doctor Montserrat Castell (Loreto Mauleon), fellow asylum inmate Igancio (Pablo Derqui), or chief doctor Dr Alvar (Eduard Fernandez), the way she changes tack is a masterclass. 

Like Oriol Paulo’s previous films, nothing is simple, and here too, we wait for the proverbial twist to drop, and the filmmaker doesn’t disappoint. God’s Crooked Lines  has a shock ending that isn’t just a simple hoodwink but rather the final piece of a convoluted jigsaw puzzle that never once takes the audience for granted.

This Gripping Thriller on Netflix Is the Perfect Mystery for 'Shutter Island' Fans

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Only a handful of movies can successfully play with the concepts of perception and reality to a satisfying degree. God’s Crooked Lines delivers all that and more with its mind-bending narrative and general air of intensity. Directed by Oriol Paulo , known for his mastery of suspense , God’s Crooked Lines creates an atmosphere of paranoia and uncertainty against the backdrop of a 1970s psychiatric hospital . The narrative itself is centered on Alice ( Barbara Lennie ), a private investigator who goes undercover as a patient at a mental health facility to investigate a sketchy death. However, things get dicey as the case unravels into something a lot more sinister than your run-of-the-mill murder case.

The film's ability to blur the line between truth and insanity is what sells the plot, as it doesn’t only leave Alice questioning what’s real, but the audience as well. A lot of this is thanks to Lennie’s performance, which had her shifting from a state of vulnerability to manipulation, making it impossible to fully trust her, or anyone else for that matter. Reminiscent of classics like Shutter Island and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , God’s Crooked Lines weaves an intricate narrative that’s as deceptive as it is intriguing.

‘God’s Crooked Lines’ Keeps You Questioning Reality in Every Moment

From the instant Lennie’s Annie steps into Our Lady of the Fountains Hospital in God’s Crooked Lines , there’s already an air of uncertainty. But, it’s not just the mystery behind the puzzling murder that'll draw viewers and fans of Shutter Island in , but the layers of doubt, psychological tension, and outright misdirection that ups the ante. The film succeeds at planting tiny pointers and visual details that make viewers question everything they see. One subtle example is the fleeting lunch scene between Alice and Dr. Donadio ( Lluís Soler ). At face value, they’re having an ordinary conversation, but attention shifts when the food and drinks on the table disappear. That’s exactly how the film raises doubts about its protagonist’s perception of reality. The visual sleight of hand is a glaring reminder that Alice’s version of events may not be as reliable as they first seemed.

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Even more, how the characters are presented adds to the general air of unease. Friends become foes and motives seem to be constantly shifting. As such, no one is who they appear to be. There’s Dr. Alvar ( Eduard Fernández ) who initially comes across as a trustworthy figure but later becomes eerily suspicious when Alice discovers the chunky check her husband gave him. He doesn’t just cast doubt on himself, but also on the entire medical team . Similarly, Alice’s husband is portrayed as a doting partner, but once it’s revealed that he absconded with her fortune, it only adds to the layers of mistrust. Just when you believe you’ve figured out who’s in the right, new information surfaces, forcing you to reconsider everything; essentially creating a mental maze that keeps the truth hidden until the very end.

The Layers in Bárbara Lennie’s Performance in ‘God’s Crooked Lines’ Are Worth Exploring

Lennie’s portrayal of Alice is equal parts subtle, engaging, and concealing. From the moment she walks into the hospital, there’s a quiet intensity about her that ensures the viewers are constantly second-guessing her version of events. So, while you can never fully trust her, you can’t completely doubt her either. Needless to say, it’s this tricky blend that keeps the tension at an all-time high throughout the film. Despite the duality of her character, she channels Alice with extreme control, staying away from big, melodramatic bursts of emotion to drive the plot. Rather, she invests herself in little details like her expression or posture to clue the audience that there’s a lot more to her than what meets the eye.

Above all, her performance stands out thanks to the way she delivers Alice’s growing self-doubt. Instead of making it obvious, she lets the cracks gradually begin to show in the form of a breakdown of her confidence. Her interpretation of the character ensures that as the plot advances, it’s increasingly difficult to figure out if she’s in control. Take the moment she’s first confronted by Dr. Alvar about her motives for checking into the hospital. She maintains a calm, almost icy demeanor as she delivers her answers. Still, it’s not without a flicker of uncertainty that proves that, though she’s controlled and calculated, she’s equally unsure of her story. Like the overall film, her performance never lets you settle on what to believe; and the result is a riveting performance — and thriller — you can't look away from.

God's Crooked Lines

God's Crooked Lines, directed by Oriol Paulo, follows private investigator Alice Gould as she feigns mental illness to infiltrate a psychiatric hospital. Her mission is to uncover the truth behind the suspicious death of a patient, delving into the complexities of the facility and its inhabitants.

God’s Crooked Lines is currently available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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