DVD Based on writer Susanna Kaysen's account of her eighteen-month stay in a psychiatric hospital during the turbulent 1960s, Winona Ryder stars as a troubled young woman struggling to understand both herself and the world around her.
Details
Susanna Kaysen is depressed, confused and directionless after finishing high school with the unenviable distinction of being the only person in her year not going to college. Following an overdose involving aspirin and a bottle of vodka, Susanna is rushed to hospital. Although she insists that she wasn't attempting suicide, her psychiatrist diagnoses her with borderline personality disorder and recommends that she spends some time at the private Claymoore psychiatric hospital.
Susanna voluntarily admits herself to Claymoore believing that she will only be there for a short period. Instead, she finds herself surrounded by a group of young women dealing with their own problems, including the withdrawn Georgina, badly scarred Polly and the deeply troubled Daisy. Most influential of all is Lisa, a charismatic and rebellious sociopath who has little respect for either the hospital staff or the rules they impose.
Initially fascinated by Lisa's confidence and refusal to conform, Susanna becomes increasingly drawn into her world. However, as the months pass and the consequences of their behaviour become more serious, Susanna begins to realise that escaping from Claymoore is going to require more than simply walking through the front door. If she is ever to regain control of her life, she must first confront the problems that brought her there and decide whether she really wants to get better.
Picture & Sound
The anamorphic transfer is bright, clean and impressively sharp, with a healthy bit-rate and very little evidence of compression artefacts. Colours are generally natural rather than overly vibrant, which suits the subdued atmosphere of the film particularly well. Detail is consistently good and the numerous flashbacks are seamlessly integrated into the story, often moving between past and present without immediately making the transition obvious.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is rather more restrained. Given that the film is predominantly dialogue driven this isn't particularly surprising, although it's initially a little strange to hear almost nothing from the surround channels. They eventually spring into life when the musical score appears in the rears, but otherwise this remains a very front-heavy soundtrack. Dialogue is always clear and precise, which is ultimately far more important for a film such as this.
Menu & Extras
The menu may be static, but thankfully Columbia have provided a worthwhile collection of extras. The director's commentary is particularly useful, with James Mangold providing plenty of background information on the production and explaining some of the decisions made during editing.
The deleted scenes are also well worth watching, especially with the accompanying commentary. Considering the finished film already runs for over two hours, it's interesting to discover just how much additional material was removed. Mangold explains that retaining everything would have pushed the running time towards three hours. It's a shame really, as some of the material is genuinely interesting. Perhaps somebody will be tempted to produce a director's cut at some point in the future.
Things are rounded off with the HBO First Look making-of featurette, an isolated music score, theatrical trailers, talent files and production notes. It's a respectable collection that provides considerably more value than the usual trailer-and-filmography approach found on many releases.
Overall
The acting here is simply outstanding. Angelina Jolie, who plays the charismatic but deeply disturbing Lisa, thoroughly deserved her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She dominates virtually every scene she appears in, effortlessly switching between humour, charm, aggression and cruelty. Lisa may be an incredibly difficult person to like, but it's almost impossible to take your eyes off her.
Conversely, how Winona Ryder avoided similar recognition amazes me, as this must rank amongst her most powerful performances to date. Her portrayal of a young woman struggling to understand whether she is genuinely ill, simply unhappy or somewhere between the two is extremely convincing. More importantly, she manages to prevent Susanna from being overwhelmed by Jolie's far more flamboyant character.
The supporting cast is equally impressive. Brittany Murphy gives a particularly unsettling performance as Daisy, whilst Elisabeth Moss, Clea DuVall, Vanessa Redgrave and Whoopi Goldberg ensure that even the quieter characters leave an impression. Goldberg is especially good in another serious role, proving once again that there's considerably more to her than comedy.
At over two hours the film is certainly in no hurry, but it never feels unnecessarily long. Rather than relying on dramatic twists or manufactured sentimentality, the story allows its characters to gradually reveal themselves and, in doing so, gives the viewer plenty to think about. It's certainly not the happiest film you'll ever watch, but neither is it relentlessly depressing.
Girl, Interrupted is a powerful, intelligent and superbly acted drama that deserves considerably more attention than it seems to have received. The excellent performances alone make it worthy of recommendation, whilst the strong transfer and worthwhile collection of extras make this Region 1 DVD an impressive package. Highly recommended.
Special features
- Director's Commentary
- Deleted Scenes with Commentary
- HBO First Look : The Making of "Girl, Interrupted"
- Isolated Music Score
- Theatrical Trailers
- Talent Files
- Production Notes
