User reviews

To the people that ask "Where was her family"?, you have no idea what it is like to have a mentally ill person you love refuse to get help & take meds. No idea. You can't help them, no matter how much you want to. This movie is a perfect example of that. Heartbreaking.

"God Knows Where I Am" (2017 release; 97 min.) is a documentary about Linda Bishop. As the movie opens, we are at "393 Mountain Road, Concord, New Hampshire" and it is "May 3, 2008". The body of a woman is found in an empty house by a prospective buyer who was taking a look inside. It's not long before the body is identified as being Linda Bishop. The investigating cop cannot believe his good fortune that she left a diary of the last months of her life. It contains a letter saying: "To whomever finds my body, I am a victim of domestic violence/abuse." The documentary goes back in time to Linda's upbringing and youth... At this point we're 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the story would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the directing debut of long time documentary producers Jedd and Todd Wider ("Taxi to the Dark Side"). Here they bring the story of a woman whose death seems suspect. Was she abused? Was she on the run form the law? The directors do a marvelous job at going back in time, and the slowly letting things unfold, as if taking off lawyer after layer from an onion. Of course this film could never have been made without the extraordinary journals of Linda Bishop (who are read in a voice over during much of the film). This movie sheds new light on the incredible and devastating illness that is schizophrenia. Sometime in the film it is mentioned that there are 2.5 million people in this country suffering from schizophrenia, of which HALF deny that there is anything wrong with them (Linda Bishop was one of those). Linda's sister, daughter, and a slew of friends and others who know her are all interviewed at length. It all makes for a terrific, if very sad, documentary. "Dear God, please save me" are the opening words of the film (from Bishop's journals). And that's just the first emotional gut punch. Don't tell me you weren't warned...

"God Knows Where I Am" opened out of the blue and without any pre-release hype or advertising at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. Curiosity got the better of me, so I checked it out. So glad I did. The Sunday matinée screening where I saw this at was attended okay but not great (probably the perfect weather had something to do with that). If you like documentaries, by all means do not miss this one but be prepared for a emotional wallop. "God Knows Where I Am" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

What a complex history told in part in her last diaries, in part by those who knew her as well as others. The over-emphasis on apples is an insight into her state of mind as well as the conditions in which she tried to survive. Lower rating because it was strung out a bit longer than it needed to be (suppose producers have to fill a certain time length), and the background music was a bit overbearing, but most importantly there were no subtitles so that the importance of her words could be heard through the music and at times poor enunciations and audio levels. Her words, "God will help." has a poignant meaning

I knew this was going to be difficult to watch, but last night I finally pulled it up on my DVR. Wow. The filmmakers brought this woman to life and didn't sensationalize her death. Great use of simple but elegant recreations of the house where Linda Bishop spent her last months. The music fit perfectly; the voiceover was compelling. The interviews with friends and family started out light and loving, and you're wondering where did things go wrong for her? The tension builds as her story unfolds, and the unbelievable happens.

I appreciated the panel discussion with the filmmakers and a physician led by Hari Sreenivasan after the movie was shown on my PBS station (KCTS). It helped me better understand how this could happen, and how it relates to the issues of mental health and homelessness in the Seattle area.

Everyone should see this movie.

The subject matter has been well covered in other reviews, but I just want to mention that the film making's use of conventional documentary tropes such as re enactments, voice over, interviews, and pans over letters, are somehow woven together in a mesmerizing fashion with absolutely beautiful cinematography and lighting of the re enactments, which are shot in the actual house. The shots linger over beautifully lit and composed scenes, without feeling slow. The voice actress that plays the crazy lady is really good. The music is subtle but creepy and melancholy and really adds to the atmosphere. Almost every line is a description of the woman by another person who starts out with the word "she", which at times is almost overwhelming though i'm sure that was the point. "she was this, she was that, she was the other, she did this she did that," imagine hearing sentences starting with the word she at least 200 times. Anyways the production values here really elevate this over the way this type of story is usually handled.

The sister said she didn't know she was out until they told her of her death. Her daughter (sorry, but seems heartless about her mother's illness) obviously didn't visit,call or write?

Directed by brothers Jedd and Todd Wider, God Knows Where I Am (2016) tells the story of Linda Bishop, whose tragic life ended quietly in an abandoned New Hampshire farmhouse. This powerful and captivating documentary uses Linda's own words, left behind in a notebook, and interviews with friends, family, and social workers to piece together her last weeks on earth. The result is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen.

The documentary tells the story of Linda Bishop, who in 1999 abandoned her 13-year-old daughter and began wandering, convinced the Chinese mafia, or some other unknown agency, was after her. Her travels even brought her to Ground Zero in New York City after the September 11 terrorist attacks, where she handed out American flags and gave tours. While working at a Chinese restaurant, she briefly met a man named Steve, who she became convinced wanted to marry her. In real life, the man once called a jail to ask them to block her letters.

For years, she checked in and out of psychiatric hospitals. Doctors diagnosed her with schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder with psychosis, but she denied there was anything wrong. Finally, in October 2007, Linda was released from New Hampshire Hospital in Concord and squatted in a vacant home, where she survived by eating apples until winter. She then slowly starved to death, writing diligently in a notebook, with neighbors a short distance away.

There were many tragedies about Linda's life, but when the New Hampshire Hospital simply released her into the streets without contacting her closest relatives, that was the beginning of the end. Linda refused to acknowledge her illness, and no one could force help on her. This failure of the mental health system forms the central debate in this film. Was there anything that could've been done differently to save her life?

The filmmakers recount this tragic story through interviews, footage filmed on location at the actual home where she died, and readings from Linda's journal. This narration, provided by actress Lori Singer, is performed with such authenticity you feel like you're hearing Linda's own voice. The narration alone is an incredible part of this documentary, a window into its subject's mind you rarely see.

God Knows Where I Am raises a number of important questions that might not otherwise be in the public consciousness. What obligation does the state have to care for someone who doesn't want help? Where is the line between eccentric beliefs and mental illness? What are the social and personal costs of homelessness?

The only potential problem with this documentary is that it walks a fine line between decency and voyeurism. Nina Metz at the Chicago Tribune wrote that it "is filmed with the kind of care and Pinterest-ready aesthetic that almost - almost - tips into fetish." It lays bare Linda Bishop's last moments to an extent that Linda herself likely never wanted anyone to see. I watched the film with the very uncomfortable sense that I was watching a person's most intimate moment completely uninvited.

God Knows Where I Am is almost universally praised and currently holds a 84% positive rating from critics and 88% audience favorability on RottenTomatoes. This simple but powerful tale takes the deeply personal and turns it into something universal. With every scene crafted to emotionally connect the audience to Linda's story, it is an excellent example of documentary filmmaking done right.

Didn't have the same impact for me as, "Into the Wild." Linda knew what she was doing from the start, she didn't want to live in this world and so she turned to the next.

It is a very moving, emotional and, frankly, depressing portrayal of how the mentally ill often fall through the cracks and fail to receive the care and assistance that they need. However, I didn't feel that the film really gave enough detail or information about the woman herself. We learned about her childhood and did get some sense of what it was like for her based on her own journal entries, but I still felt like most of the film contained very little about the victim and was mostly just dramatic cinematography which stretched out the length but didn't add any real substance. The whole thing could really have been condensed into a 30 minute length program. So, while I was captivated by the tragedy of this woman's story, it felt too drawn out and left me with so many questions about her illness and the events that led her to that house, that overall I was pretty disappointed.

Mesmerizing... beautifully done . So very sad, yet enlightening

I'm not into documentary's . But this caught my attention .Cause I see my ex wife in this Bishop lady. so many lost souls walking out there with no hope of a happy ending. I think its the best documentary on the subject of schizophrenia. God Knows Where I Am . I recommend you watch this .

Stunningly accurate portrayal of the innocence of the person with mental illness be it bipolar, schizophrenia or both. It has been four years since my father was arrested with many counts of felony charges living a similar unknowingly, self-destructive path; the late onset of his disease started at age 56 years old. Thankfully, by the grace of God, the court required him to take medication. He has lived with myself and granddaughter for the last 7 years and even before that off and on for ten years. I pray that treatment continues to bless him with good control over this illness albeit imperfect yet striving to beat it. The answer to this is love, hope and forgiveness. Never give up but I know it will hurt.

I have never in my life been so mesmerized and crushed simultaneously, by a film. If mental illness runs in your family, you need to see this. It will change your life.

The substance of this film could have been covered in about 45 minutes. Half of the film is long, drawn out sequences of apples and slow readings from Linda's diary. Very sad story that deserved more. Lots to be desired.

Im from concord NH and I must have driven by the house in the film 1000 times. Such a powerful movie

There are no words to explain how real and heart wrenching this story is; for Linda, and the ones that loved her, and those that discovered her. Her daughter is real too, a real "all about me" shrew. No compassion. The message of this film is enlightening: that the good, the capabilities of system, and the lack of compassion in our society are all, at the same time, very real.

I'm not going to go on and on. I'll simply say...watch this. Absolutely!