Girl, Interrupted (1999)

I was sitting in the hospital as I read the book.
This was so strange. I had been in this hospital for 3 weeks, to be perfectly honest, for depression. McClean's. I was feeling a little better so took this book from the library. Well, I couldn't believe it when I relised I was in the same hospital as the book. I knew this to be true because not only was the hospital name the same but they spoke of tunnels where you could go from one building to another and I'd been down them plenty of times. In groups with "the police patrol" as we called them.
The book itself was excellent. Although as far as I know, no one was ever in the hospital for longer than a month. And those bloody "police control" did there daily 5 minute rounds. I also watched the movie which I must say is much better than the book. More detail. And Angeelia Jolie is fantastic. She makes the movie. I'm glad she won the oscar.

Mixed feelings, but a worthwhile movie
I absolutely loved Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, and this movie is set within McLean Psychiatric Hospital, the same hospital Sylvia Plath sojourned in during the 1950s. So, I was predisposed to like, if not love, this movie. Yet my overall impression was mixed, fairly positive, but more lukewarm than I had anticipated. I did like many aspects of the movie: top-notch acting; the theme that we are all somewhat borderline (like Susanna's diagnosis), a spectrum of dysfunctionality in a dysfunctional world; some of Susanna's insights; Whoopi Goldberg's character, and Ryder's special features commentary that no one is immune to a "visit," brief or prolonged, at McLean.

Other aspects were downright disturbing. So many reviewers commented about how Lisa (Angelina Jolie) said it like it was, "the truth-telling sociopath." How she treated Daisy (Britney Murphy) wasn't truth-telling; it was a combination of transference, projection, and blaming the victim, completely devoid of empathy. I always thought that sociopaths were like Ted Bundy and Hitler, but Lisa didn't seem to be that type of threat to society. Despite how cruel she could be, Lisa showed softer feelings and protested to Susanna that she really wasn't dead (emotionally). I couldn't help but feel sorry for this character. Susanna does see Lisa as a warning for what our protagonist could become if she doesn't get better. However, Susanna has a completely different diagnosis, so the psychiatric ward longevity and self-destructive behavior would be the real danger of the similarity. Despite how mesmerized Susanna was by Lisa and how close the two of them were, I never thought that this movie developed/captured this relationship to that extent. If the movie had retained some of the deleted scenes, maybe this closeness would have been more convincing.

The acting was really intense. Ryder, with her large, luminous eyes, drew us in to the self-reflective and indecisive Susanna. Jolie didn't hold back with her interpretation of Lisa: her virtuosic display of nuanced angst and unbridled anger was Oscar caliber. And I just wanted to comfort Britney Murphy's Daisy.

Whoopi Goldberg stole the show in all her scenes. When Susanna was baiting her with racially charged diatribe, this nurse had the sense not to take it personally. She continued to encourage Susanna by telling her she wasn't going to be a long-term patient and gave her some sound advice and feedback.

This movie seemed a bit disjointed (and I'm not referring to the movie's heavy use of flashbacks), but hey, maybe that was purposely done to represent the lack of order and coherence felt by the institutionalized young women (and the young people of that generation).

This movie didn't move me like The Bell Jar, but it did move me. It had some beautiful moments and keen insights. If its overall effect is to inspire compassion for the mentally ill, then I cannot complain. This movie makes a good point about how Bell Jars come in different sizes, shapes, and distortions. We're all susceptible to off-kilter phases, or girl interruptions.

Mixed feelings, but a worthwhile movie
I absolutely loved Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, and this movie is set within McLean Psychiatric Hospital, the same hospital Sylvia Plath sojourned in during the 1950s. So, I was predisposed to like, if not love, this movie. Yet my overall impression was mixed, fairly positive, but more lukewarm than I had anticipated. I did like many aspects of the movie: top-notch acting; the theme that we are all somewhat borderline (like Susanna's diagnosis), a spectrum of dysfunctionality in a dysfunctional world; some of Susanna's insights; Whoopi Goldberg's character, and Ryder's special features commentary that no one is immune to a "visit," brief or prolonged, at McLean.

Other aspects were downright disturbing. So many reviewers commented about how Lisa (Angelina Jolie) said it like it was, "the truth-telling sociopath." How she treated Daisy (Britney Murphy) wasn't truth-telling; it was a combination of transference, projection, and blaming the victim, completely devoid of empathy. I always thought that sociopaths were like Ted Bundy and Hitler, but Lisa didn't seem to be that type of threat to society. Despite how cruel she could be, Lisa showed softer feelings and protested to Susanna that she really wasn't dead (emotionally). I couldn't help but feel sorry for this character. Susanna does see Lisa as a warning for what our protagonist could become if she doesn't get better. However, Susanna has a completely different diagnosis, so the psychiatric ward longevity and self-destructive behavior would be the real danger of the similarity. Despite how mesmerized Susanna was by Lisa and how close the two of them were, I never thought that this movie developed/captured this relationship to that extent. If the movie had retained some of the deleted scenes, maybe this closeness would have been more convincing.

The acting was really intense. Ryder, with her large, luminous eyes, drew us in to the self-reflective and indecisive Susanna. Jolie didn't hold back with her interpretation of Lisa: her virtuosic display of nuanced angst and unbridled anger was Oscar caliber. And I just wanted to comfort Britney Murphy's Daisy.

Whoopi Goldberg stole the show in all her scenes. When Susanna was baiting her with racially charged diatribe, this nurse had the sense not to take it personally. She continued to encourage Susanna by telling her she wasn't going to be a long-term patient and gave her some sound advice and feedback.

This movie seemed a bit disjointed (and I'm not referring to the movie's heavy use of flashbacks), but hey, maybe that was purposely done to represent the lack of order and coherence felt by the institutionalized young women (and the young people of that generation).

This movie didn't move me like The Bell Jar, but it did move me. It had some beautiful moments and keen insights. If its overall effect is to inspire compassion for the mentally ill, then I cannot complain. This movie makes a good point about how Bell Jars come in different sizes, shapes, and distortions. We're all susceptible to off-kilter phases, or girl interruptions.