Mo-View (Movie Review) Presents: "Girl, Interrupted"

“How can I even recover when I do not know my disease?” - Susanna

Pretty disturbing, unique, and realistic, that is how I will describe the movie. First, I am so amazed on how the story and the movie was conceptualized and done. I like the “interruptions” happening on the story and on the character. Susanna, the main character, is always distracted on the first part, and if you are not that attentive to the movie you will be lost to the flow of the story. The actress is fitted well on the character – a girl who is not crazy but tries to be one.

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I have loved the story even more when I saw the mental institution, and I said to myself that this will be one unique movie. It will tackle a serious issue about mental illnesses, and I said it will be a unique story because this will not have that typical love story or any gruesome horror. The story is serious and the setting and maybe some of the cast were real as well.  Here, I was exposed to the world of psychiatry, from the patients’ struggles, the workers patience and care, and the experts’ side and opinions. In this movie, I was taught to appreciate those who suffer from such an abnormality, and those who suffer because of them. While watching the therapy sessions, the scene where the patients talk to a psychiatrist, I also wished that I will undergo such. I mean it is a good feeling to talk about anything about you or anything under the sun and knowing someone is listening. Also, I am having doubts on my psychological state as well.

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If you’re a normal person not having such mental illness, it is really hard to understand them. They are complex, unpredictable, and sometimes cranky. You will know the different situations of the characters because Susanna asks them on Georgina, which I knew is a pathological liar. I loved the character of Angelina Jolie, or Lisa, she has the most complex personality amongst other girls. Her entrance in the film is strong and intimidating, and I felt the emotions of Georgina and Susanna when Lisa entered their room, they were both horrified. I also like the part when they sneaked in the office of the psychiatrist to see their personal records. There I was exposed to the possibility that Dr. Potts might be playing their serious situations for them to stay longer in the institution. As he said, economics and psychiatry are two different things. By the way, Susanna was diagnosed for having borderline personality disorder.

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Like I said, they are complex, you will never know what are they thinking and you can’t read their minds easily. Sometimes they will not drink their “meds”. I am just saddened when Daisy committed suicide. I also like the confrontation part of Lisa and Susanna in their hideout. It has full of emotions and full of hysteria. Lisa’s tears meant something, and I think it is a realization of what really is happening to her.

But even though we have some good reactions regarding the movie, I also observed some negative responses. First things first is the lighting of soooo many cigarettes in the movie. I don’t know, but I think I trained myself to repel to cigarettes, and this movie has them lit from time to time. Is this title “Girl, Inrerrupted” or “Girl, Lighted”, but not that they are burning but because of their cigars. Next is the showering of the winning word “fuck” in the entire film. Wait, am I being wholesome here? These are small, small negative reactions, but the message of the film is more important, I guess.

Again, this movie taught me to accept and love every sort of people because we do not know their back story on why do they do this/that and why are they like that. For these types of “special” people they need consideration and most especially, love. They should feel they were loved and they were heard by someone and they were accepted because that’s their way of coping up or recovering. It could be sneaking around somewhere, or playing the instruments for them because they “feel musical” today, or by speaking to them nicely. Small things can be appreciated by such people.

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P.S. I noticed that the names of the characters are similar to those in charge of the production of the movie.