God Knows Where I Am

The life and strange, sad death of Linda Bishop are examined in Todd and Jedd Wider's haunting documentary, which begins with the discovery of a woman's decomposing body in a supposedly abandoned farmhouse in New Hampshire. The authorities finally identified her as the mentally-ill Bishop, who—according to a diary she scrawled while squatting in the unheated house—had been living there for four months, hiding from outsiders and surviving on apples (scrounged from local trees) and rainwater until she died of cold and starvation. Poignant excerpts from the diary are read by Lori Singer as the filmmakers—using footage shot inside the house, combined with interviews of its previous owners, as well as local police—reconstruct Bishop's last weeks. Bishop's larger life is traced through interviews with friends and relatives, including Bishop's sister and daughter, coupled with archival materials, including family photos. What emerges is a melancholy portrait of an energetic and intelligent young girl with a special love of art whose descent into apparent schizophrenia undermined her early promise. The film eventually turns to the question of medical treatment that might have helped Bishop, but was limited by laws designed to protect the rights of diagnosed individuals. Ultimately, however, God Knows Where I Am is more personal story than finger-pointing accusation, and under the Widers' sensitive handling it proves to be a deeply affecting one. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)