Set in the changing world of the late 1960s, Susanna Kaysen's prescribed "short rest" from a psychiatrist she had met only once becomes a strange, unknown journey into Alice's Wonderland, where she...
Girl, Interrupted abruptly infiltrates mental conditions through a solid, albeit inconsistent, characterised plot. There's only one film that truly tackles mental institutionalisation with enough heft and characterisation, that it remains the superior benchmark for all subsequent topical features. 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'. Mangold's adaptation may not be in the same league as the aforementioned near-perfect drama, yet he serves up one of the most talented ensemble casts of the late 90s. Each performance turning in a level of emotional connectivity that, whilst subsequently diminished the darker tones, interrupted our thought process with genuine characters that emanated fragility and heart. A young girl's parents have their daughter institutionalised on the basis that she nearly tried to commit suicide, not aware that her mentality is actually intact, to which she finds herself enthralled by the other girls within the hospital.
Mangold's intentions weren't necessarily to comment on the system's capitalisation of business over patient welfare, but to grant audiences a window into a splintered group of friends. Blossoming friendships in the confined spaces of an imprisoned environment. A minuscule community driven on the reliance of each other, despite the frantic and erratic schizophrenic behaviours of the patients. His screenplay mimics the close proximity of these patients by intrinsically focusing on their relationships with each other. Divulging into their tainted pasts and current daily routines. Like I said, it's never an examination of the system, but an insight into the patients' residence. It's all the better for it, and oozed so much characterisation that it's nearly impossible to resist.
What aided in the emotional vulnerability of these girls, were the performances. Ryder gave a career best in a role that clearly meant something to her. The innocence, fragility and sharp tongue. The perfect lead character. A supporting cast comprising of Goldberg, Tambor, Moss, Leto and Murphy ensured high calibre performances, and they all delivered. Of course though, there's one performance that stole the spotlight. That one flickering light of excellence that made the film as memorable as it is today. Angelina Jolie. Her ferocity allowed her character to earn a commanding presence. A presence that chewed up every scene she was in. The alternative style clearly differing from her colleagues. The bitter lines of dialogue that made her unapproachable yet empathetic. No surprise that she won an onslaught of awards, it's one of her greatest performances.
The narrative however falters on several occasions. There were frequent moments of darkness within this tale of hope, juxtaposing the lighter tone set in the first half of the film. These moments unfortunately had no staying power and heightened an unnecessary amount of melodrama. The bathroom suicide scene for example, and the rushed final night at the hospital. Exploration into borderline personality disorder was also lacking. These blinded scenes in tackling the darkness of mental illness had no conviction, and instead hurried the thinly plotted narrative along to its predictable conclusion. Which is a dire shame considering the intricate development of the characters. The bland score also attempted to enhance that acute sense of dramatic power, yet instead felt clinical. And finally the film is set in the 60s, yet strangely the wardrobe felt very modern and didn't necessarily suit the decade it was attempting to portray.
Despite these reserved withdrawals, the performances and fleshed out character development alone were enough to prevent Girl from continually being Interrupted. Implanting solid foundations into a splintered narrative casually observing mental illness, producing emotional resonance during its conclusion.
