Set in a New England psychiatric hospital, 17-year-old Susanna Kaysen (Winona Ryder, pictured) is diagnosed with a personality disorder after a half-hearted suicide attempt. But compared to her fellow patients - sociopath Lisa Rowe (Angelina Jolie), over-eater Daisy Randone (Brittany Murphy) and burns victim Polly "Torch" Clark (Elisabeth Moss) - she's sane.
Susanna remembers sleeping with her fellow student Tobias (Jared Leto). The next day he appears and they briefly repeat the liaison, but she refuses his offer to run away to Canada. Instead, she absconds with Lisa, heading to meet the recently discharged Daisy. At her flat, Lisa confronts Daisy about her father's sexual abuse. The next morning, the girls' lives change forever, and their destinies are determined...
James Mangold's template of "ostracised loner seeks tainted redemption" worked brilliantly in Heavy and Cop Land. In this project he seems less assured, but the cast do the heavy lifting, with Ryder in stunning form, eclipsing Jolie, whose by-the-numbers psycho seems uninspired by comparison. (That being said, Jolie took an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.)
A series of A-list cameos from Whoopi Goldberg, Vanessa Redgrave and Jeffrey Tambor are equally impressive.
Girl, Interrupted is a Film programme that first aired in 1999 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
