They Call Us Monsters

The documentary does not have a specific focus on LGBTQ+ identities or stories. It does not include narratives that address the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender or queer-coded themes.

The film explores how gendered experiences intersect with mental health and legal status. It avoids monolithic portrayals by showing how different socializations affect how individuals navigate institutional authority.

The narrative includes a diverse cast of characters from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, reflecting the disproportionate impact of systemic instability on underrepresented communities. Race and ethnicity are woven into the core storyline.

The film critiques traditional Western institutions, such as the healthcare and juvenile justice systems, portraying them as flawed and punitive structures. It emphasizes individual lived experiences over institutional authority.

This is the film's strongest area, where it humanizes individuals with severe mental health conditions like schizophrenia. It gives its subjects a significant role in driving the story rather than using their conditions as mere spectacles.