Girl, Interrupted

5 out of 5 stars review

Girl, Interrupted is a book written about the author’s real-life experience in a mental hospital. It’s a twisting story showing the main character Susanna Kaysen’s time spent from start to end in McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts.

Winona Ryder-playing Susanna Kaysen is admitted to this hospital in 1967 after just downing a bottle of pills the week before. While in the hospital, Susanna meets her soon-to-be best friend Lisa Rowe played by Angelina Jolie. Lisa is a diagnosed sociopath and torments everyone in the hospital-but she has a sense of “spark” to her that Susanna mentioned is what made her so interested in Lisa throughout the film.

The beginning of the film shows Lisa and Susanna secretly spitting out their medications and sneaking out at night to read all their personal records but it ends with Susanna-a recovered borderline leaving the hospital while Lisa is stuck behind strained to a bed.

The director James Mangold, did a great job at really capturing all of the raw, heavy emotion; some of Mangold’s other films consist of Indiana Jones and Ford v Ferrari. This film unromanticizes mental illness and how damaging it can be, but it also shows us how helpful it is to get help and try to be better.

This movie has more good reviews than bad and I think this film can be life-changing for many. From the very skilled acting to the deep storyline, this film is a definite must-watch for all.