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Seventeen-year old David Clemens (Keir Dullea) is highly intelligent but suffers from an obsessive-compulsive disorder that makes him terrified of any human contact. Lisa Brandt (Janet Margolin) is a schizophrenic who speaks only in singsong rhymes to avoid losing her identity to Muriel, her other self. David's violent aversion to being touched lands him in institution run by Dr. Swinford played very effectively by previously blacklisted actor Howard Da Silva. When David first arrives, he is angry, fearful, and wound into a tight knot. He starts to breakthrough when he begins interacting with Lisa, though he is forced to speak to her only in rhymes. Through their friendship, David gains a measure of self-esteem denied to him by his family, amply demonstrated when he is taken home from the institution and is witness to nothing but parental bickering. When David is able to also establish a friendship with other inmates, Lisa becomes jealous and runs away until they meet again in an extremely moving conclusion. While the material has been adapted from actual case studies, it is not clear where reality ends and drama begins. There is very little structure at the school, no group counseling, no hint of medication, and no insight into what is actually troubling the other inmates, yet this does not stop David and Lisa from being an engrossing story in which we care about what the characters. Janet Margolin's innocent smile is enough to light up the darkest room and Dullea plays David with an involving sensitivity. While there may be some smirks along the way, when the film is over, grudging admiration gives way to strong appreciation.
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