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Girl, Interrupted |
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At first glance Girl, Interrupted seems to
be merely a female take on One Flew Over
the Cuckoos Nest. It is not. In fact,
the story is based on the best-selling
memoirs of Susanna Kaysen. Winona Ryder
lends her weepy eyes and eccentric persona
to the character of Susanna, a rich white girl
with too much on her mind as the world
changes around her. Moviegoers learn,
through a series of flashbacks that Susanna
graduated from high school, slept with her
father's business associates and wanted to
be a writer (Susanna's mental condition
causes her to jump from time period to time
period with little connection). Then she tries to
kill herself with aspirin and vodka. That lands
her in Claymoore Hospital, an upscale mental
institution. She makes friends, settles in,
breaks out, comes back and generally ties
herself into emotional knots.
Positive Elements: It's twisted,
but seeing the reality of suicide radically alters
Susanna's state of mind regarding her own
death. She had spent a great deal of time
dreaming about suicide, but its brutality
confronts her when one of her self-destructive
friends follows through. It shatters her
melancholy and romantic illusions (see
"Violent Content" for the down side). Susanna
is portrayed as a troubled, yet caring
individual. She establishes deep friendships
with a few of the other girls at Claymoore, and
on several occasions goes out of her way to
either cheer them up or help them in some
way. She's appalled at the lack of warmth and
respect for others that her friend Lisa displays.
In the end she must decide whether to stay in
the asylum, where she has cultivated a feeling
of safety, or re-launch her life in the real world.
She chooses wisely.
Sexual Content: Among other
things, Susanna is diagnosed as being
compulsively promiscuous. She places
herself into sexual situations several times
during the film. Other encounters are
discussed, some in graphic terms. When her
"boyfriend" comes to visit her, she drags him
to her room for a romp in bed. Afterwards, she
brags about performing oral sex. Indeed,
extremely crude sexual (and homosexual)
dialogue between the girls is common. Later,
in a gesture of friendship Susanna leans over
and gives Lisa a kiss on the side of her
mouth. Implied lesbian attraction comes up a
few times between Lisa and other girls, but
she and Susanna never act out whatever
feelings they may have.
Violent Content: Disruptive and
violent mental patients are shown being
admitted and treated at the hospital. Kicking,
clawing, struggling and screaming make for
several rather intense scenes. One of
Susanna's friends hangs herself after Lisa
unleashes a tirade of hate and accusations
against her. The poor girl is accused (in
explicit terms) of enjoying her incestuous
relationship with her father. The camera
lingers on her dead body hanging over the
bathtub as Lisa callously goes through her
pockets for money. Susanna cries hysterically.
Crude or Profane Language:
F-words dominate with over 50 uses. The
s-word and other vulgarities aren't far behind.
Drug and Alcohol Content:
Susanna and her fellow patients smoke
constantly. Rarely are any of them seen
without a cigarette between their lips.
Susanna chases a bottle of pills with alcohol
in her suicide attempt. Revelers drink at a
dance club. Patients at Claymoore trade pills
for favors. When Susanna and Lisa break out
of the hospital they share a marijuana joint
with a group of hippies.
Summary: Susanna is diagnosed
with a "borderline personality disorder" that
results in severe depression—a state of mind
that's likely to follow audiences out of the
theater. Girl, Interrupted is a dreary
indulgence into the world of mental disorders,
despair and hatred with little offered to lift the
gloom. Many teens may find affinity with
Susanna's disenfranchised existence, but
they won't get much hope in return
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