Free Your Mind

Rating: 8/10 (19 July 2008)

'Girl Interrupted' is set in a women's mental institution in the late 1960's and based on the autobiography by writer Susanna Kaysen. Winona Ryder plays the lead role as Susanna, who's not so much "crazy" as she is a very conflicted and lost young woman. Ryder plays the role convincingly, with a dose of vulnerability, as we watch her character go through her own personal growth and awakening. Ryder has always been a great actress, but Angelina Jolie manages to steal the show as Lisa, the role that brought her mainstream fame and the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2000. Jolie nails the role as the sociopath: she's charming and alluring on the surface, yet also dangerously ruthless and insensitive. She's very compelling as an actress, and this film shows she's more than just a sex symbol. Other supporting actresses include Whoopi Goldberg as the tough yet down-to-earth nurse and Clea Duvall as the pathological liar Georgina, who are also great. 'Girl Interrupted' is a solid film, with interesting subject matter, and is worth the watch.