girl, Interrupted

~~~~~ THE FILM ~~~~~

Girl, Interrupted

* A 1999 American psychological drama film.

Based on Susanna Kaysen's memoir of the same name.

    With:

Winona Ryder as Susanna Kaysen.

      She was 18 when diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

&

Angelina Jolie as Lisa Rowe,

    *diagnosed as a sociopath. Charismatic, manipulative, rebellious and abusive, she has been in the institution since she was twelve, and has escaped several times over her eight years there, but is always caught and brought back.

     She is looked up to by the other patients and forms a close bond with Susanna.

PLOT

Susanna Kaysen

1967 New England, 18-year-old Susanna Kaysen has a nervous breakdown and overdoses on aspirin and alcohol.

* Against her wishes she is checked into a local psychiatric hospital.

* Susanna had previously had an affair with Professor Gilcrest, an English instructor,

* as well as a casual relationship with a young man, Toby.

Lisa Rowe,

  * In the psychiatric ward, Susanna is particularly drawn to the sociopath Lisa Rowe, who is rebellious but charismatic and encourages Susanna to stop taking her medication and resist therapy.

* Lisa continuously provokes the staff, including head nurse, Valerie.

* Through therapy sessions,, Susanna comes to learn she has borderline personality disorder, a fact her therapist conceals from her.

* On a group outing the women visit an ice cream parlor.

*There, Susanna is confronted by Barbara Gilcrest, the wife of Professor Gilcrest, and their daughter, Bonnie.

* Barbara publicly chastises Susanna for sleeping with her husband. Lisa insultingly berates Barbara who leaves humiliated.

* This endears Susanna to Lisa even more.

...

Accolades for Jolie

    * outside of her acting career:

*Jolie is known for promoting ,

* her advocacy on behalf of refugees as a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

* humanitarian efforts

* conservation,

* education, and

* women's rights,

and many field missions globally to refugee camps and war zones;

* Jolie has been cited as one of the most powerful and influential people in the American entertainment industry.

    * She has six children with Brad Pitt (divorced), three of whom were adopted internationally.

~~~~~ THE BOOK ~~~~~

      "Girl, Interrupted" is a best-selling 1993 memoir by Susanna Kaysen (1948- ) relating her experiences in a 1960s psychiatric hospital where she is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

      Kaysen was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts (Wealthy Jews).

     She is the daughter of Annette and economist Carl Kaysen, a professor at MIT and former advisor to President John F. Kennedy.

     high school at the

       *Commonwealth School in Boston, and

       *The Cambridge School of Weston,

*1967 - sent to McLean Hospital to undergo psychiatric treatment for depression.

      *Diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

*Released after 18 months.

*Kaysen has one sister and is divorced.

~~~~~ THE PAINTING ~~~~~

Girl Interrupted at Her Music, Vermeer (c. 1650).

15 x 17 inch, Oil on Canvas

   -not much larger than a syandard 8 x 11.5" sheet of paper

Vermeer (1630-1675) was a Baroque (buhROKE) painter.

    His paintings contain symbols or cultural referrences to the Baroque period, such as the wine glass, shown on the table behind the songbook. This symbol is tied with both joyfulness and seduction.

      A vase made of porcelain and silver, likely used for serving wine.

    On the left side of the painting is the same window design in nine of his other works.

     The chairs are thought to have been from Spain.

* The painting within a painting...

      The hazy painting in the background is of Cupid.

      *Cupid may be warning the couple about the dangers of love.

   * The man is likely upper class, due to his fashionable attire.

* Music: A musical duet between a man and a woman was one of the few activities where young people of the opposite sex could socialize.

     The two in the painting were likely part of the haute bourgeoisie, which meant that they were worldly and educated when it came to music.

~~~~ The Dutch Golden Age ~~~~

* It was a period in the history of the Netherlands 1600-1670: - from the birth of the Dutch Republic to the "Disaster Year".

    *Protestants moved to the Netherlands and settled in Amsterdam, transforming a small harbor into one of the most important ports in the world.

* The Golden Age was a period in which

Dutch trade,

Science,

Art,

Music,

and the Dutch military,

were among the most acclaimed in Europe.