Out Of Darkness [1993]

Paulie’s illness has a devastating effect on her family. Her mother does the best she can to hold things together, but is now tired and at her wits end. Her sister loves her, but feels resentful, as all the attention was focussed on Paulie during their upbringing.

“Paulie’s so much more needy, I thought that the only way I could get your attention was by being sick, too.”

And then there’s Ashley, Paulie’s daughter, who’s terrified of her mother. There’s help around the corner, though. Lindsey Crouse plays the sympathetic shrink who introduces a new drug to Paulie. With determination and courage, Paulie slowly gains control of her life, and tries to come to terms with her past. It’s an upward struggle, though. Once sane, Paulie’s feels out of place in her new world.

“I’ve lost 18 years. I lost a life; what kind of life do I get back?”

There are no easy answers, of course.

The first time I saw “Out of Darkness” I was shocked by Diana’s appearance. I think she had a lot of guts shedding her glamorous image to portray a ramshackle character. There are no sequinned gowns; no fancy jewellery or elaborate make-up. This strategy works, as it makes her character more believable. There are also fewer distractions, as you’re presented with the character, minus the fancy packaging.

Diana’s acting is outstanding. In fact, I would go one better and say that this is a more accomplished performance than “Lady Sings the Blues”. For a start, Diana was 20 years older, with three movies behind her. It’s clear that she spent time researching the illness, and this enabled her to play Paulie with such realism and vigour. You can’t help sympathizing with Paulie. The music has a haunting, melancholic feel to it and it captures Paulie’s pain to good effect.

I have just two criticisms of the movie, though.

1 There’s no sense of location – where are they? Chicago? Boston? There are no clues.
2 There are too many short scenes that give the movie a slightly patchy feel.

Minor glitches aside, “Out of Darkness” proved that Diana is an actress with depth, and that she can rise to the challenge if given the right material. The movie won international critical acclaim, and Diana earned up her 3rd Golden Globe nomination – proof that the Diva hadn’t lost her power as an actress. The movie can be painful and upsetting to watch at times, but it’s worth getting for Diana’s polished perfomance.


Miss Ross proves she still can knock your socks off   November 13, 2000
carlouk80@hotmail.com (Chester, United Kingdom)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

Finally proof that Diana Ross' performance in 1972's Lady Sings the Blues wasn't and accident, the Boss certainly shows us in this very moving and realistic piece exactly what she's made of. Based on a true story Miss Ross has obviously payed great attention to detail in realising the role of Pauline Cooper a sufferer of Paranoid Schizophrenia which is both very entertaining but hauntingly real. Don't be swayed by the TV film style presentation of the film, this is not an ordinary TV movie. This film proves that one needs a whole lot more than a 7 figure mega budget to make an epic, what the film lacks in glamour and hype, Diana Ross certainly makes up for in a highly emotive and solid performance.


Haunting...   June 1, 2001
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

A Psychological Drama and a superb perfomance by Diana Ross. This is not your average TV Movie, it shows Miss Ross' great acting skills. The film's quality seems like it was done in the early 70's but overall it creates the right mood. Just like in "Lady Sings the Blues" the Diva shows that she is a serious actress. Recommended!


Out of Darkness   January 4, 2003
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

If you have had experience or known someone with this illness or similar you will find this film lacks information. Although the film itself was ok it did not show you from the onset of the illness and how it developed it was "just there". It shows how much knowledge they lacked in the last decade about this illness. Diana Ross's acting is however very good. I would liked it to have shown you scenes of Polly discussing her illness with the professionals but it didnt elaborate. If you are hoping to learn more about Schizophrenia I dont think you will. However it is still watchable.


A Stunning Perforance by Ms Ross   June 18, 2008
Blulu (England)
I think this is an amazing film, largely because of the outstanding performance in the leading role by Diana Ross. She absolutely gave 100% to the role. She portrayed so well the pain, fear and anguish of living with Schizophrenia. And I know something about this as I used to be a psychiatric nurse. What was also very interesting was the effects on family members. As someone else wrote, don't be put off because this is like a 'made for TV' type of film. It isn't trite or cliched. The writing and acting is spot on. I have now seen it twice and found myself moved to tears more than once while watching, both times.