Girl Interrupted
You must answer 15 out of 22 questions, including #’s 1, 2, 3, and 22
1.) Susanna Kaysen is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder
(BPD). Based on what you learned about BPD, describe 5 specific
behaviors and/or attitudes expressed by Susanna that are indicative of
this personality disorder.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Borderline – very emotional, mood swings (I love you, I hate you), unstable
relationships, intense anger or difficulty controlling it, impulsive behaviors (don’t
think before acting), may engage in self-destructive behaviors like substance abuse
and even harm self (“cutting”) or attempt suicide
2.) Lisa Rowe is characterized as a sociopath (a.k.a. antisocial personality
disorder). Describe 5 specific behaviors and/or attitudes displayed by
Lisa that demonstrate antisocial personality disorder.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Antisocial – also called sociopathic, total disregard for rules of society, frequently
involved with criminal justice system, manipulative to get what they want at any
cost, self-centered, lack of concern for others feelings, shows no remorse for actions
3.) Choose 1 other character that was in the institution in the film.
Describe 3 of her behaviors and then try to come up with a diagnosis for
that character.
1.
2.
3.
Diagnosis?
4.) Lisa , the diagnosed “sociopath” who feels no sympathy or guilt after
Daisy’s suicide, breaks down after being called “dead inside,” and the
film implies that she may yet recover. Do you think this is likely or do
you think she will remain a “lifer” as she calls herself?
5.) “Crazy,” Susanna says in her final voiceover, “isn’t being broken or
swallowing a dark secret. It’s you or me amplified.” What do you think
she means by this?
6.) Susanna’s psychiatrist tells her that, for her, “sane” and crazy” are
“courses of action” that she must choose between. What did she mean by
this? Do you agree that this is a choice for Susanna or is it something
she doesn’t have control over?
7.) Repeatedly, Susanna questions the validity of her diagnosis of
Borderline Personality Disorder, and at the end of the movie, even after
she has taken advantage of the services available at Claymore, she
reiterates that she still does not know what her diagnosis or even mental
illness means. Do you think Susanna was actually mentally ill?
8.) This film questions, “What is mental illness? What does it mean to be
mentally healthy or normal?” In the world of Girl, Interrupted, the
answers are not clear-cut. How do you think the director of this film
would define these terms? How does this fit with what you have learned
about mental illness this year?
9.) Girl Interrupted is a film not so much about the process of recovery as
it is about what makes a person choose to recover (or not). What do you
think finally leads Susanna to choose recovery?
10.) The idea that one cannot recover from mental illness, that all that’s
required to escape from Claymore is to lie, is demonstrated in the case of
Daisy. When Daisy is released from Claymore she is clearly not recovered
or “healthy”, and she engages in numerous self-destructive behaviors
before committing suicide. Why do you think Daisy was let out? Did
Lisa push her to commit suicide or do you think that she may have taken
this action even without being provoked ?
The following questions ask you to compare Girl Interrupted (GI) to
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (OFOTCN):
11.) Compare the protagonist in GI (Susanna) with the protagonist in
OFOTCN (McMurphy). What similarities did they share? How were they
different (besides age and gender)?
12.) Compare and contrast therapy in OFOTCN with therapy in GI. Was
either effective?
13.) Compare and contrast the doctors in OFOTCN with the
doctors/psychiatrists in GI. How did they view the patients? What
treatments (besides therapy) did they use?
14.) Compare Nurse Valerie Owen (GI) with Nurse Ratchet (OFOTCN).
How were their styles different? Was one more effective than the other?
15.) Compare and contrast the patients in OFOTCN with the patients in
GI. Besides age and gender differences, how else were the patients
different? How were they similar?
16.) OFOTCN is set in 1962. GI is set in 1968. Were either, or both of
these psychiatric hospitals different than the one in It’s Kind of A Funny
Story (which was set in the present day)?
17.) The hospital in GI is a private hospital. The hospital in OFOTCN is
state-run. What differences, if any, did this make in the type of
treatment patients received? What advantages do you think a private
(and more expensive) hospital might offer over a state-run public hospital?
18.) How does the theme/message of OFOTCN compare to the
theme/message of GI? Do they make similar or different statements
about psychiatric hospitals and the treatment that is received there?
19.) OFOTCN was released in 1975, around the time of
deinstitutionalization. GI was released in 1999. OFOTCN received
critical acclaim, including the academy award for best picture. GI
received very little acclaim. Do you think the era in which these films were
released had more to do with the success of OFOTCN or was it some other
factor?
20.) Which film portrays the mental health system more favorably? Give
specific examples?
21.) In your opinion, is Susanna different from the others at Claymore?
The head nurse, in one scene, explicitly differentiates Susanna from
those who are actually “crazy.” In contrast to them, Susanna is “driving
herself crazy.” Do you agree with Nurse Valerie?
22.) Write a brief film review. What did and didn’t you like about the
movie? Did you like GI or OFOTCN better? Why? Give the film a rating
from A to F.
Some questions derived from the HopkinsCinemAddicts Film & Media Studies Program