Name: Film Review: Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Item: Girl, Interrupted
Rating: 50
Author: @drax

(source: tmdb.org)

Life imitating art is phenomenon that sometimes make certain films look like remakes of fictional works despite actually being based on real events. This happened with Girl, Interrupted, 1999 drama directed by James Mangold and often viewed as some sort of new version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In reality, the script was based on the memoir of Susanna Kaysen which had dealt with her experiences in state mental institution.

The plot is set in late 1960s when 17-year old Susanna Kaysen (played by Winona Ryder), like so many members of her generation, challenges parental and other forms of authorities. She, despite every qualifications and means to do so, refuses to go to college and defies social conventions by sleeping with her high school teacher. When she almost dies because of careless mixing of alcohol and pills, this incident gives her rich parents opportunity to talk her into going into “observation” at Claymoore, elite mental hospital. Susanna is there diagnosed with “borderline personality disorder” and meets group of inmates, young women like herself, but with completely different characters. They include rebellious sociopath Lisa Rowe (played by Angelina Jolie), pathological liar Georgina Tushkin (played by Clea DuVall), disfigured schizophrenic Polly Clark (played by Elisabeth Moss) and bulimic Daisy Randone (played by Brittany Murphy). Although shocked at first, Susanna gradually befriends them and starts looking at Claymoore as her new home, much to the horror of her boyfriend Tobias Jacobs (played by Jared Leto), Vietnam War draft dodger who planned to escape with her to Canada. Valerie Owens (played by Whoopi Goldberg), experienced head nurse, on the other hand, knows that Susanna is nothing more than spoiled rich girl that needs just little impetus to find out what her real priorities are and thus return to real world.

Girl, Interrupted at first indeed looks like a typically 1990s makeover of New Hollywood classic like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Characters are switched from men into teenage girls, while the dark and depressive tone is replaced with optimism, sentimentalism and obligatory happy end. On the other hand, the film was something of a very personal project for its main star Winona Ryder, who had enthusiastically embraced the memoir and was trying for years to have it adapted for screen. James Mangold, on the other hand, wasn’t the most fortunate choice for the director. He had problems in adapting episodic content of Kaysen’s book into feature film. At times those episodes are artificially made more dramatic then they did and the ending is turned into typical Hollywood melodrama. Mangold was, on the other hand, wise enough to let the cast do the most of the work and the cast in this particular case was quite good. Ryder does well in the role of protagonist, but she is easily overshadowed by Angelina Jolie in the role of fascinating but frightening sociopath. Jolie has used this opportunity not only to show her great talents, that would be recognised by Academy voters that gave her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, but also pave the way for global stardom in 2000s. Apart from Jolie, another good performance was given by Brittany Murphy. But the most pleasant surprise is veteran Vanessa Redgrave in small but effective role of Dr. Wick, where she confidently plays woman of authority, exactly the same kind of figure Kaysen was rebelling against. Mangold also did well by choosing proper soundtrack and thus efficiently brought little bit of 1960s atmosphere to the film. Girl, Interrupted, despite being slightly overrated and despite its reputation relying too much on Jolie’s role, is a more than solid piece of cinema that should be recommended even to audience that doesn’t include Jolie’s or Ryder’s fans.

RATING: 5/10 (++)