Girl, Interrupted

Set in the late 1960s, Girl, Interrupted follows Susanna Kaysen after a brief meeting with a psychiatrist becomes a "short rest" that stretches into a longer commitment at Claymoore psychiatric hospital. Cut off from familiar expectations, Susanna watches the routines, rivalries, and alliances that form among the women around her, while Lisa, a magnetic and unpredictable patient, draws her into reckless moments and sharp questions about what counts as sane behavior. Days begin to blur as diagnoses and confinement reshape how Susanna sees herself. She weighs the immediate comforts of belonging inside the ward against the uncertain freedoms beyond it, and she gauges what leaving would require of her.

Released in 1999, the film was directed by James Mangold and adapted from Susanna Kaysen's memoir. The screenplay credits include Lisa Loomer and Anna Hamilton Phelan, with Winona Ryder starring. Supporting roles featured Jolie, DuVall, Murphy and Moss.

Angelina Jolie won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Lisa, a recognition that spotlighted the film. Jolie's performance became the most celebrated element of the release, and it helped solidify her career in Hollywood. That Oscar remains the film's defining award recognition, noted by critics.

The movie entered cultural conversations about psychiatric diagnosis and women's mental health in the 1990s, often cited for its frank depiction of institutional life. Lisa's iconoclastic persona and the ensemble's chemistry have kept the film in view among audiences discussing portrayals of illness and friendship, and it still sparks discussion.

Critics gave mixed to positive reviews, with many singling out Winona Ryder's restrained lead and Jolie's electric supporting turn; the film holds a 7.6/10 user average. It deals with identity, the limits and power of labels, the complexity of recovery, and how relationships shape a person's sense of normalcy today.