Girl Interuppted
Girl Interrupted: Susanna Kaysen’s Mental Illness
Katie Casebeer
Margaret Gibson
Amancio Lopes
Molly Rather
Boston College
PY230
The film, Girl, Interrupted, is based on the life and memoir of Susanna Kaysen. During the late 1960’s Susanna Kaysen, attempted suicide and checked herself into a mental health hospital for two years. This movie adaptation weaves together the intricacies of Susanna’s personal life, the pressures of a changing society and the unexpected friendships she formed while committed to the hospital. In the film, directed by James Mangold, Susana is played by Winnona Ryder. The movie is made up of small vignettes of Susanna’s life. Susana is from a well-off family, but considers herself an outsider and typically associates herself with those of the counterculture of the 1960’s. As a senior in high school, Susana aspires to be a writer, though this career path is not deemed acceptable by either her parents or her school. She is also involved in an affair with the husband of a family friend. The film begins with Susanna checking herself into a local mental hospital called Claymore after she attempted suicide by downing a bottle of aspirin and chasing it with alcohol. While at the hospital, Susana meets a myriad of women suffering from various mental disorders. In particular, she connects with one woman, Lisa (as portrayed by Angelina Jolie). Lisa is a diagnosed sociopath and influences Susanna to resist many aspects of their doctor’s therapy. The women in the hospital break into their psychiatrist’s office and read their files, which describe their disorders and conditions. This is when Susanna discovers that she is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. After running away from the hospital with Lisa and discovering one of their friends, Daisy (played by the late Brittney Murphy), committed suicide, Susanna returns to the hospital. The film is spoken from the perspective of Susanna and while she constantly questions the way
Katie Casebeer
Margaret Gibson
Amancio Lopes
Molly Rather
Boston College
PY230
The film, Girl, Interrupted, is based on the life and memoir of Susanna Kaysen. During the late 1960’s Susanna Kaysen, attempted suicide and checked herself into a mental health hospital for two years. This movie adaptation weaves together the intricacies of Susanna’s personal life, the pressures of a changing society and the unexpected friendships she formed while committed to the hospital. In the film, directed by James Mangold, Susana is played by Winnona Ryder. The movie is made up of small vignettes of Susanna’s life. Susana is from a well-off family, but considers herself an outsider and typically associates herself with those of the counterculture of the 1960’s. As a senior in high school, Susana aspires to be a writer, though this career path is not deemed acceptable by either her parents or her school. She is also involved in an affair with the husband of a family friend. The film begins with Susanna checking herself into a local mental hospital called Claymore after she attempted suicide by downing a bottle of aspirin and chasing it with alcohol. While at the hospital, Susana meets a myriad of women suffering from various mental disorders. In particular, she connects with one woman, Lisa (as portrayed by Angelina Jolie). Lisa is a diagnosed sociopath and influences Susanna to resist many aspects of their doctor’s therapy. The women in the hospital break into their psychiatrist’s office and read their files, which describe their disorders and conditions. This is when Susanna discovers that she is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. After running away from the hospital with Lisa and discovering one of their friends, Daisy (played by the late Brittney Murphy), committed suicide, Susanna returns to the hospital. The film is spoken from the perspective of Susanna and while she constantly questions the way