Interrupted Music Lesson (Girl, Interrupted)

Production and year: USA 1999, dir: James Mangold Genre: Psychological, Drama Cast: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg Medical topic: psychiatric hospital, borderline personality disorder Description: The late 1960s. Susanna Kaysen is a sensitive 18-year-old who struggles to find her place in the world around her. After overdosing on aspirin and drinking a bottle of vodka, her parents have her admitted to a psychiatric hospital. The incident is deemed a suicide attempt, but Susanna denies that she intended to take her own life. She is placed in the adolescent ward, where she meets Lisa, a pathological liar and sociopath; Daisy, who is sexually abused and has a fear of eating in front of others; and Polly, who suffers from pyrophobia. It quickly becomes clear that getting out of the hospital is much harder than getting in. Her eighteen-month stay in the hospital turns out to be a real school of life for her. The film is based on the autobiographical book by Susan Kaysen.