Product Description
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Two time O(r)-nominee Winona Ryder stars in the
fascinating true story of a young woman's life-altering stay at a
famous psychiatric hospital in the turbulent late 1960's.
Questionably diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder,
Susanna (Winona Ryder) rebels against the head nurse (Whoopi
Goldberg) and top psychiatrist (Vanessa Redgrave), choosing
instead to befriend the resident "loonies",a group of troubled
women including the seductively charismatic sociopath Lisa
(Angelina Jolie). But Susanna quickly learns if she wants her
freedom, she'll have to face the person who terrifies her the
most of all: herself.
From .co.uk
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Based on Susanna Kaysen's accled journal-memoir,
Girl, Interrupted ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/1860497926/%24%7B0%7D )
bears an inevitable resemblance to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's
Nest, and pale comparison to that earlier classic is impossible
to avoid. The mental institution settings of both films guarantee
a certain degree of déjà vu and at least one O winner (in
this case, Angelina Jolie), since playing a loony is any actor's
dream gig. Unfortunately, director James Mangold seems to have
misplaced the depth and delicacy of his underrated debut, Heavy,
despite a great deal of earnest effort by everyone involved. It's
easy to see why Winona Ryder chose to star in (and
executive-produce) this almost worthy adaptation of Kaysen's
book, since it's a strong vehicle for female casting and potent
drama. Mangold certainly got the former; whether he succeeded
with the latter is not so clear.
To be sure, Ryder conveys the confusion and chaos that signified
Kaysen's life during nearly 18 months of voluntary
institutionalisation beginning in 1967. But the film seems too
eager to embrace the cliché that the "crazies" of the Claymoore
women's ward are saner than the war-torn world outside, and lack
of narrative focus gives way to a semi-predictable character
study. Susanna (Ryder) is labeled with "borderline personality
disorder," a diagnosis as ambiguous as her own emotions, and
while Jolie chews the scenery as the resident bad-girl sociopath,
Ryder effectively conveys an odyssey from vulnerable fear to
self-awareness and, finally, to healing. The ensemble cast is
uniformly superb, making this drama well worthwhile, even as it
treads familiar territory. If it ultimately lacks dramatic
impact, Girl, Interrupted makes it painfully clear that the
boundaries of dysfunction are hazy in a world where everyone's
crazy once in a while. --Jeff Shannon, .com
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From the Back Cover
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Two time O nominee Winona Ryder stars in this moving
and inspirational film based on a true story about one womans
experience inside a psychiatric hospital. Questionably diagnosed
with borderline personality disorder, Susanna (Ryder) rebels
against the head nurse (Whoopi Goldberg) and top psychiatrist
(Vanessa Radgrave), choosing instead to befriend her fellow
inmates - a group of troubled young women, in particular the
seductively charismatic sociopath, Lisa a force to be reckoned
with, played by O winning actress Angelina Jolie. Susanna
resolves to recl her freedom, but first she'll have to face
the person who terrifies her the most.......herself.
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