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Girl, Interrupted

Theatrical release poster

Directed by	James Mangold
Screenplay by	James Mangold, Lisa Loomer, Anna Hamilton Phelan
Based on	Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Produced by	Douglas Wick, Cathy Konrad
Starring	Winona Ryder Angelina Jolie Clea DuVall Brittany Murphy Elisabeth Moss Jared Leto Jeffrey Tambor Vanessa Redgrave Whoopi Goldberg
Cinematography	Jack Green
Edited by	Kevin Tent
Music by	Mychael Danna
Production companies	Columbia Pictures Red Wagon Entertainment
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date	December 21, 1999 (United States)
Running time	127 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$24 million
Box office	$48.3 million

The year is 1967, and Susanna Kaysen, a disillusioned teenage girl, is struggling with her mental health. She has just downed a handful of aspirin while chasing it with a bottle of vodka. It wasn't a suicide attempt, she said hazily while lying in the bed in the ER. She had no intent of dying. After a brief psychiatric interview with family acquaintance Dr. Melvin Potts, he diagnoses Susanna with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and recommends she spend time in a nearby psychiatric institute Claymoore. Under pressure from parents and doctors, Susanna signs a voluntary admission form and is taken by cab to Claymoore Psychiatric Hospital, where the film unfolds. Susanna's life isn't the only thing interupted; so is her path to adulthood. She exists in a liminal space. Not sick enough to be mad, not well enough to be normal. There's something quite poetic in the fact the film never offers a concrete diagnosis. Just questions, contradictions, and ambiguity. Based on Kaysen's memoir, Girl, Interrupted is a haunting exploration of mental illness, identity, and the rebellion of women against a system that pathologizes their pain.

(50%) First Impressions

I watched Girl, Interrupted as an 18-year-old in the middle of an existential crisis. This film was nothing but impeccable timing. Its themes hit too close to home. You will find that certain elements are dramatized and may not be fully reminiscent of the average psychiatric institution. However, the film does a great job of capturing the soul of the era and its characters. They are not their diagnoses, but rather complex individuals struggling with their own demons. The film serves as a poignant reminder that the mentally ill are no less human than anyone else. They have dreams, goals, desires, standards, fears, and struggles just like everyone else. To this day I have seen this film 6 times, and each time I find something new to appreciate. Another character that I can relate to, a new microtheme that I missed, or a subtle relationship between characters I hadn't noticed before.

Structure & Style

The musical score by Mychael Danna is subtle, minimalist, and quite melancholic. It gives the feeling of running home in the rain after a long day to eat a grilled cheese and hot cocoa.

Visually, the film is stunning. Like myself, it favors a muted, somber palette—all faded blues, sterile whites, and dimly lit interiors.

The Oscar-winning performance by Angelina Jolie as Lisa Rowe is nothing short of mesmerizing. She dials up the intensity to 11, and her ability to create a cult-like following around a sociopathic character is nothing short of masterful. Even though she did not win the Academy Award, I also want to shine the light on another of my favorite actors, Brittany Murphy as Daisy Randone. Her performance is beautifully tragic; she manages to tie a noose around your heart and squeeze it with every scene she is in. Making her final argument with Lisa, and the following suicide, that much more tragic. Also, a shoutout to Winona Ryder as Susanna Kaysen—my personal favorite performance (not biased because of Winona, of course). Her performance is raw, vulnerable, and what I find to be the most relatable. She went from being diametrically opposed to being committed, to outright rejecting leaving with her boyfriend Toby, played by Jared Leto. By this point her friendship with the other girls had become so strong, she'd become dependent. When you go so long without being seen, finding those who do see you becomes a drug.

Ideas & Themes

Girl, Interrupted took place in the late 1960s. The Vietnam War was escalating, with circa 475,000 American troops deployed by late 1967. There were widespread protests against the war, and the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing. Psychiatric institutions were widespread, harsh, and dominated by Freudian psychoanalysis and early behavioral paradigms. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) was barely understood, and rarely diagnosed in teens. It wasn't officially recognized as a mental illness until 1980 via the DSM-III. Intrusive methods such as Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and early forms of psychotropic drugs were being used widely, sometimes abusively. The film does a spectacular job of capturing the essence of the era, placing you there with the characters. You don't empathize with them; you are them. You feel their pain, their struggles, and their triumphs.

Who Should Watch It?

I would recommend this film to anyone who has ever felt lost, misunderstood, or trapped by their own mind, especially those of young adult age. This film sees you, it understands you, and it validates your pain like few others can. I would also still give it a watch if you cannot directly relate. It is a powerful film with an important message, deep emotional resonance, comic relief, and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.

Final Thoughts

This film will always hold a special place in my heart. It was one of the films that got me through my own mental struggles. It helped me understand the importance of introspection, empathy, and the power of human connection. It taught me that everything is not black and white, and that I might have been a lazy, self-indulgent little boy driving myself crazy.

Rating

Critic Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ (95%)

"A imperfect portrait of mental illness, elevated by bold perfomances and era-accurate aesthetics that occasionally romanticizes the pain it seeks to expose."
— Kris Yotam

Viewer Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ (98%)

"Raw, poetic, and painfully human, this film saw my teenage condition, and speaks to the parts I thought were long silent."
— Kris Yotam