Girl, Interrupted Review
by "Alex Ioshpe" (ioshpe AT online DOT no)October 12th, 2000
DIRECTED BY: James Mangold
WRITTEN BY: Susanna Kaysen (book) and James Mangold
CAST: Winona Ryder, Angelina Joilie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy
MPAA: Rated R for strong language and content relating to drugs, sexuality and suicide. Runtime: USA:127
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RATING: 7/10
"When you don't want to feel anything, death sounds like a blessing".
- Susanna, "GIRL, INTERRUPTED"
Susanna (Wiona Ryder ) is a girl, like any girl; living in a town,
like any town. She is eighteen and is like most teenagers - confused,
angry, scared. But there is something about her that makes you
wonder. She has a gift. She is the philosopher of her time, with her
own view at life and society. Her dream is writing and her wish is
sharing her doubts, fears and feelings with someone. But no one
listens. No body cares. She is not like everyone else. And therefore
she is crazy. Before long, she is transmitted to a mental institution,
where she can get excellent care. Here she meets people that are, like
herself, different. And though the personnel tries to help, they see
them only as patients and not for who they are as persons. There is
Giorgina (), the 'pathological liar', Polly, who wants to be a child
forever and Lisa (Angelina Joilie) - the rebellious lioness. Trapped
and helpless, Susanna begins to wonder about her situation. What's
really wrong with her? Is she really crazy? Is it the sixties? Or
maybe she is just a girl, interrupted.
Original? No, but nevertheless it makes a powerful emotional
impact. The story is not structured in chronological order. It jumps
back and forth in time and space, and we learn about Susanna's past
from her memories. Most of the time the film resembles Milos Forman's
"One Flew Over The Cocoo's Nest". It is a meditation on life, society
and human mind. It is a story about the courage and power of being
different. It is a fable about what it means to be brilliant. The
first half of the film is inspiring and is intelligent enough to stand
on its own feet, without being embarrassed. Another complementary
element in James Mangold's picture is characters. Every character is a
mystery, and most of the time the patients are trying to unlock the
doors to each others minds. The problems start emerging in the second
half of the film, where it is time for the director to tie loose ends
and elegantly end his fable. And this is a disappointing effort. All
its mysteries are revealed in the most obvious and primitive way. No
dark secrets remain. Nothing is left to our imagination and
thought. And what felt like a fresh breath of originality, disappears completely. Acting is the only thing that remains constant during
these 127 minutes. Wiona Ryder is impressive. There are no flaws in
her delicately controlled performance. But the real acting skills are
provided by Angelina Joilie. She puts on a performance that make you
remember Jack Nicholson in "One Flew Over the Cucoo's Nest". But
unlike Ryder, who goes as far as the somewhat dry script unfolds,
Joilie stretches it and goes beyond, making the words her own. There
is some original improvisations in her wonderfully energetic
performance, that really pay off. The rest of the cast is nice, but
their screen time is limited and there is not much they can do with
their small parts. The technical aspect of the film is mediocre, with
Jack N. Green's dry cinematography and Kevin Tent's traditional
editing. This is probably the oldest looking film of the year. In the
end the film feels called interesting. The frightening themes about
control and mental breakdown are almost avoided and it seems like the
creators didn't come up with any interesting updates since Forman has
created his legendary picture. It is a cliché, and yet there is
something that prevents you from taking your eyes from the
screen. There is some kind of a bizarre connection. And even when you
know what's going to emerge from the corner, when you know exactly
what will happen, you feel surprised, amazed and moved. I can't really
explain that, but my guess is that it touches emotions and thoughts
that are so basic, so deep and important, that it simply demands
attention. Will it be remembered? No. It resembles the countless 'true
stories' that you can watch at home on your TV set. But for those who
enjoy a good cry, this is the perfect choice.
More on 'Girl, Interrupted'...
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