Half The Young Girls In The Movie example essay topic

One popular cultural myth about the mentally ill is the archetype of the 'Sexy Crazy Girl', which we " ve seen in movies, comic books, and music. Losing your grip with reality is not a glamorous subject, but that's not what you get from Girl, Interrupted. It is apparent that all the girls in the movie had some type of dysfunctional personality, and bad things happen to some of them, but it just did not seem realistic. First off, most of the patients portrayed were young, which made the care facility look like a youth home rather than a mental institution. but only the main (well known) stars, (Jolie and Ryder) were focal pion t. I'll also note that about half the young girls in the movie, Ryder and Jolie included, simply don't look like girls in the 1960's. Maybe that's a difficult statement to explain, but it has to do with that certain look each time and generation seems to have; and Ryder and Jolie don't look like girls of the 1960's.

Of course, one could easily say that their displacement is part of their condition... but I didn't buy it. To finish this paragraph about this film's inconsistent appearances, I'll mention how convenient it seems that with the exception of one extra, nearly the entire cast of patients in this ward are under the age of 25 or so. Mental illness strikes women of all ages, so it was a bit perplexing to see it portrayed as a thing of youth. This also feeds into my prior statement about making 'going crazy' look cool... this movie could " ve used a lot more incontinent, drooling women in their 50's. Though the central character is Susannah, the author of the book as played by Winona Ryder, the spirit of the movie seems to be manifested in the character of Lisa (Jolie). The movie seems to pay heavy homage to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in using a character like Lisa, as she seems at first glance like the young female version of Randall Mc Murphy.

Farther in, however, we discover that Girl, Interrupted is more aptly described as being completely the opposite... Lisa really is probably more messed up than anyone else in the ward. Jolie has gotten plenty of acclaim for her performance here, but I was never really taken in. It seems she's playing nearly the same sexy-vixen she's played in a few other films already; just this time, she's in a t-shirt, and occasionally gets tied to a bed. It'd be interesting to see Jolie really stretch beyond her type; maybe in a Jane Austen movie or playing a nun. Overall, Girl, Interrupted feels like a movie that could " ve been rawer, more intense, and more confrontational... ie, a lot less Hollywood.

I found myself wondering what this adaptation of Kaysen's book would " ve been like if it had been done on a shoestring budget with unknown young actresses and a fledgling director. Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade, the short film by Billy Bob Thornton that led to the film Sling Blade came to mind. I'm also noticing that that's the 2nd time I referenced another film that is primary about men, not women. Maybe we need an excellent film about mentally ill young women, and maybe Girl, Interrupted could " ve been that film... but it isn't.

Quickly summed up, this film may indeed be compared to a female version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, except where that film was a rebellion tale, Girl, Interrupted appears to be more about self-discovery. Though this film has been long in development, and many actresses vied for the leading role, the casting call was even more crowded for the supporting roles. In particular, though I haven't yet read the book, and so I don't know the characters, Angelina Jolie and Clea DuVall in particular both seem to have something in their eyes that indicate the ability to play characters struggling with reality. Likewise, after doing the 'action thing' in both Alien: Resurrection and Lost Souls, Winona Ryder is returning to doing a film that is based a little more, oddly enough, on reality. Indeed, of all the films in Winona's short yet full career, the one that Girl, Interrupted may most closely represent is her 1996 performance in The Crucible (since both films deal with how people perceive reality, in their own ways). There is no 'pure' BPD; it coexists with other illnesses.

These are the most common. BPD may coexist with:.