To say an actress “loses herself in a role” is usually applied as a compliment… but this series is comprised of movies where it might be used as an expression of concern. Bad Actress collects an all-star stock company of performers caught in the midst of mental breaks: sometimes chemically induced, as in R. W. Fassbinder’s Veronika Voss; sometimes driven by public abandonment, as in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard; and sometimes attributable to more mysterious causes, as in David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. After careers of performing for others, these actresses are acting out for themselves—and the result is the (often harrowing) performances of their lifetimes.