“So valuable because it contains so little of the theatrics common to pop culture depictions of mental illness… The fundamental story, the core narrative of a young woman forced to confront her fundamental ambivalence towards life in a very strange place, surrounded by other women who are just as strange as her, still resonates.” – Freddie DeBoer

In 1999, James Mangold turned Susanna Kaysen’s best-selling memoir about her stint in Claymoore Hospital’s South Bell psych ward into one of the unlikeliest cult hits in Hollywood history. While it met with mixed reviews and dismissal as “awards bait” upon its release, GIRL, INTERRUPTED has endured as an empathetic and unusually entertaining portrayal of mental illness, friendship, and social repression. Winona Ryder’s own struggles with anxiety and depression no doubt informed her deeply felt portrayal of Susanna Kaysen, who is hospitalized against her will following a suicide attempt. There, she meets a rogues’ gallery of young women, who are all “fucking crazy,” in Susanna’s words, but she’s drawn to the rebellious Lisa Rowe, a diagnosed sociopath. Jolie won an Oscar for her live-wire turn as Lisa, and it’s her energy played against Ryder’s neuroticism that really sells the film (though the deep-bench supporting cast, including Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy, and Elisabeth Moss, certainly doesn’t hurt either!). The real-life Kaysen famously regarded the film as “melodramatic drivel,” but while it may not have portrayed her story with complete accuracy, its wry wit, dark humor, and socially conscious exploration of the psychiatric healthcare system nevertheless tapped into something deep for any of us who’ve also endured struggles with mental health.

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Arkadin presents INSTITUTIONALIZED: MENTAL INSTITUTIONS ON FILM, a series of movies that depict asylums, sanitariums, and psychiatric hospitals — some with unvarnished realism, others with surrealism, whimsy or horror. At several screenings, academics and mental health experts will introduce the film with a talk that unpacks the film’s treatment of mental healthcare and provides context on the history of psychiatric institutions.

Arkadin does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. However, we encourage researching titles to determine if a screening may contain content that could be upsetting to you. Please feel free to contact us for guidance on specific films. Information about content can also be found on Common Sense Media, IMDB and DoesTheDogDie.com, as well as through general internet searches.