Head Against the Wall

François is the carefree son of a powerful lawyer who lacks qualifications and a job. He robs his father and is committed to the countryside asylum after his misdeed; inside he seeks normal life while clashing with authority. He forges uneasy friendships with Lenoir and Heurtevent and clings to Stéphanie as a beacon of the life he desires.

Dr. Varmont is the senior physician who believes that the mentally ill should be kept separate from society. He favors confinement and a strict routine over progressive care. His approach creates a clash with Dr. Emery and drives the hospital's harsh atmosphere. His authority looms large over François's fate inside the ward.

Heurtevent is an epileptic patient whose gentleness contrasts with the harsher realities of the ward. He forms a friendship with François and shares his sense of vulnerability. He suffers seizures, and his eventual suicide underscores the despair inside the asylum.

Stéphanie is the woman François met before his imprisonment. She visits him at the hospital and believes he is not mad. She acts as a lifeline to the outside world, urging him to regain control of his life. She offers him hospitality and support, even as the system closes in.

Lenoir is a criminal hiding from gangland revenge who befriends François in the ward. He provides François with a potential route to life outside the asylum, including a Paris address that turns out to be an illegal gambling den. The relationship offers François a glimmer of autonomy while also exposing him to new risks. Lenoir’s presence complicates François’s longing for normalcy.

Dr. Emery embodies a more progressive path of treatment than Varmont, offering a glimmer of humane care. However, the hospital lacks the capacity and resources to take on new patients, leaving François stranded. The contrast between Emery's ideas and the hospital's reality highlights the limits of reform. The incomplete reform underscores the broader critique of mental health institutions.