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Tale, Interrupted

Ravi Costa

Girl, Interrupted, in short, is a series of erratic moments that hover around one disconnected character. One interesting moment of the film is about the social consequences of having someone who is 'different' or as they say the 'black sheep' of the family.

Especially in the '60s, the era in which this film is set in. The solution then was to put them in a mental hospital, which is where Winona Ryder's disconnected character, Susanna, finds herself. Her problem? She enjoys casual sex, she is slightly out of tune with this rapidly changing world and she doesn't seem to fit in the society. So, how does she cope with it?

She decides to swallow a bottle of Aspirin, though she denies it.

Mommy and Daddy can't handle her behaviour. I mean, what will the neighbours, the fancy cocktail friends and colleagues say? So, in she goes to Claymoore, where she meets other crazy people that make her look really normal.

Unfortunately, the movie does not get into details. It somewhat just brushes on such aspects. The only thing it does go into, is the relationship Susanna develops with all the people at Claymoore. Evidently ending with her self-discovery when she decides she needs to get out of the institution where her life has come to a standstill, to a pause, or so to say, has gone interrupted. Hence, the name of the film.

In her journey of self-discovery, Susanna meets Lisa, played by Angelina Jolie, an aggressive sociopath who she is fascinated and becomes friends with. Her roommate is Georgina, a pathological liar played by Clea Duvall. And she makes friends with Daisy, a high strung girl with an eating disorder played by Brittany Murphy and Polly, a disfigured girl with low esteem played by Elizabeth Moss.

Thanks to Lisa's anti-social behaviour, Susanna is inspired and is brainwashed into thinking that she is gifted. Hence, she starts to fake taking her medications, and starts to take her therapy sessions lightly, breaking rules and going on misadventures.

It is only when Susanna and Lisa escape from Claymoore, which leads to the suicide of Daisy that Susanna has a breakdown and decides to succumb to therapy. She starts putting down her thoughts in a journal and quickly over time, rehabilitates.

The climax of the movie comes when Lisa discovers Susanna's diary and reads it out to Georgina and Polly, where Susanna has penned down what she thinks really ails all her inmates at the institution. The result is that there is a collective breakdown, Lisa suffering the most, eventually going through a moment of self-discovery, giving way to hope of recovery.

Of course, the movie is high strung, thanks to Angelina Jolie's outbursts with her acting. Emotional, it is not. Winona Ryder does a great job as the out-of-focus girl, thanks to some excellent editing at the beginning of the movie.

However, after that, it just loses its direction. Come to think of it, the movie seems to have little moments that unfortunately don't add up.

And as for the acting, well if you compare it with Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, or Dustin Hoffman in Rainman, or for that matter, Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys, you'll probably wonder what the hype was all about at the Oscars.

All in all, if like me, you're enraptured just by Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie, then have a look. Otherwise, if you want to take something home with you, look elsewhere.