Classics: A Review of Girl, Interrupted By Lauren Ennis

Mental illness is a topic that has been portrayed with varying degrees of success since the earliest days of cinema. As social awareness of and attitudes towards mental illness have evolved, so too have the images  of mental illness portrayed on-screen. Throughout this shift in cultural understanding cinema's presentation of mental illness has dramatically shifted between damaging stereotypes to glamorizing mental illness as a form of quirkiness or creativity. Fortunately, in recent years cinema has begun offering more realistic efforts that shows the effects of mental illness upon its sufferers and those closest to them, while still offering hope for a brighter, more stable, tomorrow. One such film is the 1999 drama Girl, Interrupted. Adapted from Susana Kaysen's bestselling memoir of the same name, the film follows a teen girl as she struggles to come to terms with her mental illness. The film provides viewers with an insider's view of both life in a mental health facility and life with mental illness while reminding mental health sufferers that with help they can lead a full and fulfilling life.

The story begins with eighteen year old Susanna entering Claymoore Hospital (a thinly veiled fictional version of McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts) after attempting suicide by overdosing on aspirin. Although she insists that the overdose was accidental she reluctantly admits herself to the hospital at her parents' urging. Upon entering Claymoore she soon encounters an array of fellow patients suffering from various mental illnesses. During her stay is most affected by her interactions with charismatic sociopath Lisa and obsessive-compulsive sexual abuse victim Daisy who each lend a cautionary example of what could await her if he fails to get help. Over the course of her stay, she leans vital lessons that allow her to lead a fulfilling life outside of Claymoore in which she can thrive rather than merely survive.

Girl, Interrupted sets itself apart from similar dramas through its blunt portrayal of life with mental illness which is both sympathetic and empowering. Too often those living with mental illness are portrayed as either victims or villains rather than as the complex and multifaceted people they actually are. In Girl, Interrupted however, Susanna and each of the young women whom she encounters are presented as three dimensional characters with strengths weaknesses rather than as stereotypes or walking lists of symptoms. As a result, viewers cannot help but become invested in each of their stories as they face the same all too real struggles that millions suffering from mental illness encounter each day. Girl, Interrupted earns particular note for the nuance of its script which empathizes with its characters without making excuses for their actions. For example, while the film acknowledges the tragedies of Lisa's continued confinement and Daisy's eventual suicide it also highlights the ways in which those events could have been avoided if Daisy and Lisa had utilized the resources offered to them. In this way the film empowers mental illness sufferers by reminding them that they have the power to start on the path to a better tomorrow if they take even one step towards getting help today. Despite its unflinching portrayal of its subject matter the film is neither exploitative nor bleak as it empatheticaly portrays the obstacles faced by mental illness sufferers and those around them and the ways that, with treatment, those obstacles can be overcome.

Kaysen's memoir is brilliantly brought to the screen by the film's talented cast. Whoopie Goldberg gives an effective understated performance as no-nonsense hospital nurse Valerie. Brittany Murphy compellingly portrays the contradictions of Daisy's arrogant, haughty, exterior and internal torment. Angelina Jolie steals each scene in which she appears  in her explosive performance as the magnetic Lisa. Winona Ryder excels in her double duties as both actress and executive producer, with her role as Susana standing out as one of thee most authentic and complex of her career.

Girl, Interrupted is a masterful portrait of the ways in which mental illness interrupts and alters the lives of those touched by it. Through its complex script and multifaceted performances the film aptly portrays one unique group of women while offering universal insight into the struggles of mental illness. For an honest depiction of living and coping with mental illness take a brief interruption with Girl, Interrupted. 

Classics: Valentine's with Cinema's Oddest Couples

The winter winds continue to blow and the television is alight with a warm and fuzzy glow; Valentine’s Day is upon us once again. That means that television and cinema screens will be flooded with the same familiar faces, well-worn odds, and time-honored plots. For those craving more than the same tired and true love stories, this week I’ll be turning the spotlight on three of cinema’s most outrageous, outlandish, and loveably eccentric couples. For Valentine’s Day viewing to remember, be sure to cuddle up with these unconventional classics.

Harold and Maude: Perhaps the most obvious and famous of cinema’s odd couples are the title pair from this 1971 cult classic. The story explores the unusual friendship that blossoms into an even more unlikely romance between a morbid twenty-something and an irrepressible seventy-nine year old. Harold is a wealthy young man who uses his obsession with death as both a means of rebelling against, and crying out for attention from his self-absorbed mother. He meets Maude while both are attending a stranger’s funeral; she in an effort to ease the suffering of the deceased’s loved ones, and he out of macabre fascination. The two eccentrics become fast friends with the two sharing each other’s unusual interests and eventually bringing out the best in one another. As he spends time with the ever enthusiastic Maude, Harold begins to realize that there is far more to life than waiting for death. Through her infectious influence he finally finds the courage to break free from his repressive existence and becomes determined to live life on his own terms. Over the course of the film it becomes apparent that the two are kindred spirits as they inspire and learn from one another; creating not only one of film’s most unorthodox but also most heartfelt romances.  Through its portrayal of its lovably eccentric lovers the film reminds us all that it’s never too late to lead the life that you want and that age is only a number. Equal parts quirky and touching, Harold and Maude remains a fan favorite not for its temporary novelty, but for its timeless message that a life without love, whether love for oneself, one’s partner, or life itself, is no life at all.

Ninotchka: Sometimes a couple’s differences are more political than personal. Such is the case in the 1939 classic romantic comedy Ninotchka. The story follows a stern Soviet envoy and a suave Parisian attorney as they cross legal and ideological lines to heat up the Cold War. The film begins with French aristocrat Leon easily outsmarting a bumbling Soviet delegation as they attempt to sell the state-confiscated jewels of his sometimes lover. Just when he thinks that he has legally stopped the sale, however, Moscow sends the beautiful but formidable Nina Ivanovna Yakushova, aka Ninotchka, to finish what her comrades started. When the two opponents meet by chance without realizing the other’s connection to the case romantic antics ensue that have even Garbo laughing. Through their affair the care-free capitalist and hard-boiled Bolshevik learn to see life from the other side of the wall and are ultimately the better for it. When politics threaten to separate the two a case of affection and defection occurs that proves that love, like comedy, knows no time, place, or party affiliation. For the finest in romance and comedy spend your Valentine’s Day with Ninotchka.

Along Came Polly: Romance by nature is full of risks as it forces us to trust our most vulnerable selves with another person. Risk analyst Reuben Pfeffer thinks that he has finally beat love at its own risky game when he marries arguably the most reliable and predictable woman that he knows. Love bounces back, however, when he discovers his new bride in the arms of her scuba instructor during their honeymoon. While recovering from the devastation of his ensuing divorce, he encounters his former school crush, Polly Prince. Although he is stunned to learn that the diligent mathlete he once knew grew up to be a flighty bohemian, he soon finds himself falling under her free-thinking spell. Before long he begins following Polly’s lead and engaging in some risky business of his own. When his ex-wife returns seeking to reconcile he is forced to choose between playing it safe and taking a chance on what just might be love. While the film follows the familiar formula of opposites attracting, its emphasis upon the ways in which we could all enrich our lives with small, every day, risks lends the proceedings emotional weight. The various subplots surrounding Rueben’s work and his former child-star best friend’s attempts at a comeback also add unexpected comedic twists that infuses the script with surprising originality. For a charmingly offbeat take on the romantic comedy genre take a chance on Along Came Polly.