Girl,Interrupted

Hello there! I apologise that it has been a while since my last blog post but I have been pretty busy with work lately and I haven't been too well so I have been in and out of the doctors, anyway that is not what this post is about.

I recently decided that I did not want this blog to be made up of reviews, however this post is made up of both a review and general thoughts, and what I am going to talk about in this post is...

Girl, Interrupted.

I briefly mentioned this film in my last post, but I did not go into much detail regarding it. I first watch Girl, Interrupted when I was 14 and I was going through a pretty rough time in my life. Ever since watching it the first time alone in my bedroom, it has struck a chord with me and has remained my favourite film till this day. There are many reasons that contribute to this and I want to share some of those with you. 

I'll give you a brief synopsis for some of those who may not know anything about the film. Girl, Interrupted is a film based upon the diary of Susana Kaysen - a real person who ended up being sectioned to a institution in the 60's and follows her journey from her being admitted into the institution Claymore's till the day she was discharged. It also tells the story about the people she meets whilst at Claymore's and the way in which the people she meets effects her recovery. 

It is no secret that I am a HUGE admirer of Angelina Jolie, but her portrayal of Lisa Rowe - a sociopath is impeccable. The way she can portray such a twisted and manipulative character yet bringing through a vulnerable and human side which people do not find within Lisa amazes and enchants me every time.  The way that Angelina is presented in this film astonishes me every time as you would not believe it was her and that she could look so different, but the fact that she managed to pull it off and still look so right for the role is possibly one of the best things about the film. Although Lisa is quite a serious and at times threatening character, she brings the film a element of humour and light heartedness at times. For example: 

Lisa: Take one more fucking step and I'll jam this in my aorta! GO AHEAD!

Nurse Valerie: Lisa...Your aorta is in your chest.

Lisa: Good to know! I'll make a note of that one.

It's a small scene but is just something that makes you laugh and takes some of the tension and morbidness from the film. At this point in the film she is also covering for Susana who is in her room with her boyfriend who is visiting - and at this point you begin to see the development of their relationship and begin to see that Lisa is capable of caring for somebody at times. 

What is interesting about the film, is the main character, Susana Kaysen (portrayed by Winnona Ryder) the polar opposite of Lisa, who is not seen to have any signs of real mental health issues, she is seen as a very confused young woman who is depressed - but she does not see it this way. One of my favourite lines is right at the beginning of the film where she is sat in a therapists office and he says :

Susana: I didn't try to kill myself 

Dr Potts: What were you trying to do?

Susana: I was trying to make the shit stop

This line has always stayed in my mind, just because I think she was trying to hide her fear and vulnerability. I believe it is such a crucial part of the film and the story and you begin to feel more sympathy towards the character. 

There is a scene where Lisa and Susana go to daisy's house and Lisa becomes very serious and pushes Daisy to the edge. For me this is a very hard scene to watch as she talks about something so serious and something which has effected so many people, including Angelina herself. The line which is the strongest of the scene is where Lisa says: 

Lisa: Tell me that you don't take that blade, and drag it across your skin, and pray for the courage to press down. 

I have known many people who have gone through depression and self harm and I find this a very hard and emotional scene to watch just because it touches a nerve with me, but yet is a crucial part to the scene,and Lisa's character. We begin to see what she is capable of what and that she doesn't have the conscious that people would have towards people that are suffering with depression or any other form of mental health issues. 

The last couple of scenes are very dark and serious, you begin to see Lisa's strong points and her low points. The last scene is heartbreaking as you see the true Lisa as she breaks down to Susana and confesses how she really feels and the line that always gets me is when she quietly and weakly says:

Lisa: I'm not really dead

At this point in the film, all we want is for somebody to take time for lisa and you finally see the character in a whole new light.

As I mentioned, I did not want this post to be predominately a review, but I feel that in someways a insight into somebody else's perspective about something can make somebody want to watch something or not, although I hope this post will make you want to watch the film so you can also enjoy it and see why it means so much to me. 

It's always been a favourite of mine and I think it's because when I first watched this film I was in such a dark and horrible part of my life and It just made me see that things can change - although my circumstances were not far as dramatic as those in the film, but it was just so interesting to see how mental health was dealt with and treated years ago. In addition to this, I honestly believe that this film is what sparked my interest in Asylums and mental health. As I mentioned in my first blog post, I was addicted to American Horror Story Asylum and I am constantly searching for films in this field.  

(P.s Girl, Interrupted is available on netflix!) 

Although this post is a little bit different to what I have posted before, I hope you enjoy it and I may begin to write more things like this, if it goes down well! 

Thank you for taking the time to read!