Director
James Mangold
Synopsis (without Spoilers)
Imagine life as it happens everyday. Then suddenly, without any warning, you are tossed into a cage to be dissected and inspected until the surgeon cleans you up enough to be allowed back into the free world.
Susanna Kaysen [Winona Ryder] found herself in this position suddenly, in the midst of trying to discover who she was.
Reviews (with Spoilers)
Susanna is introduced as an obvious mental case in denial. She acts victim in her own life, until she meets Lisa [Angelina Jolie]. Lisa's spirited and careless character attracts Susanna immediately; the two become
more like partners in crime. They act like the only sane people in the hospital, discovering their companions' diseases one by one.
However, the vacation eventually ends, and Susanna discovers that Lisa has her own
illness to deal with. As Lisa continues to dive into a self-destructive lifestyle, such as escaping from the hospital over and over, Susanna feels more distant. The climax occurs when a fellow patient, Daisy [Brittany Murphy] kills herself, as an indirect result of Lisa. Susanna realizes
finally, that though she has found a friend in Lisa, Lisa needs help herself. Returning to the hospital, Susanna is finally able to receive the proper treatment. An understanding psychiatrist, Dr. Wick [Vanessa Redgrave], Susanna feels
she is getting respect as well as a treatment for her confused condition.
Grade: 8 out of 10 cowspots
Starring
Winona Ryder ..... Susanna Kaysen Angelina Jolie ..... Lisa Rowe Clea Duvall ..... Georgina Tuskin Brittany Murphy ..... Daisy Randone Elisabeth Moss ..... Polly Clark Jared Leto ..... Tobias Jacobs Jeffrey Tambor ..... Dr. Potts Vanessa Redgrave ..... Dr. Wick Whoopi Goldberg ..... Valerie 
A graduating high school student, Susanna found herself the only one not going onto college.
"What will you do now?" she is asked many times during the film. "...I plan to write," she replies slowly.
I found this movie surprisingly entertaining. Although based in a mental hospital, the characters become as endearing as those found in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next.
As the day nears that Susanna is about to be released, the ultimate test is put to her. A journal she had been keeping is exposed by her once best friend, Lisa, and she is on the verge of cracking. However, she does
not, and actually discovers that she has the power to stand up for herself.
Winona Ryder presents a very mentally capable Susanna Kayson, at first "wrongfully placed" in a "prison," but realizing in the end that there were some things about herself that she didn't even know. Angelina Jolie steals
her role, as usual, with her capricious and self-absorbed personality. Through humor and friendships, this movie is touching and sensitive. Girl, Interrupted sticks to its dramatic category, though, so it may prove a
bit boring for some... however, why would you be watching the movie unless you enjoyed that type of thing? (Please, don't say for Angelina Jolie... o_0 ...well, she DID win the Golden Globe Award for it... ^_^)
