hy can’t you control it?” In the ’60s, Susanna Kaysen (Winona Ryder) has a difficult time concentrating, even though she doesn’t take any drugs. She’s confused, unfocused, depressed, uncontrollable – and suicidal. Her latest attempt, an episode involving aspirin and vodka (“I didn’t try to kill myself!”), finds her being sent away to Claymoore Psychiatric Hospital, an asylum for troubled young people who are burdens on their parents. Although she technically has to voluntarily commit herself, she’s undoubtedly coerced into her stay.

“I’m not gonna be here that long.” At the women’s ward, Valerie Owens (Whoopi Goldberg) offers a uniquely friendly authority figure, while roommate Georgina (Clea DuVall) is amiable enough. It isn’t until loud, defiant, controlling, pushy, manipulative, antagonistic, violent Lisa (Angelina Jolie) is forcibly brought back to the institution that Susanna realizes just how damaged and dangerous some of the residents can be. “It’s good to be home!”

Through sporadic flashbacks, audiences get to piece together the circumstances that led Susanna to Claymoore, though many of them don’t appear psychotic enough to warrant a stay, especially considering the complexities of adolescence and the mental burden of Vietnam (and the civil rights movement) going on in the background (historical elements are continuous). That doesn’t stop doctors from guessing at causes and conditions, while Susanna cautiously observes the eclectic mix of girls, each harboring a wealth of issues, pent up in the privacy-free, antiseptic rooms. In many ways, the introductory moments resemble those of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” except that here the mischievousness isn’t immediately as tense, instead demonstrated in little acts such as breaking into a basement bowling alley or perusing their files in an administrator’s office (there’s a lot of lock-picking going on) or receiving a visitor of the male variety. Later hijinks, including an amusing comeuppance when Lisa defends Susanna against a significant confrontation, clearly lean into playfulness. Conflict arises, but in general, Susanna’s plight isn’t routinely as severe as one might expect in an authentic cinematic adaptation.

“Your progress has plateaued.” As a picture that wishes to examine different characters in a specific environment (and during a brief period) rather than telling a precisely structured story (it’s based on the real-life accounts of Kaysen’s time in a hospital), the pacing is a touch slow, though the character development is excellent. Time is definitely spent to make audiences care about their individual outcomes, even with the excess of pondering and introspection and maturation, suggesting that Susanna, whose perspective remains central for viewers, is far more aware of her psychological stability than many of the others. While several of the friendships are sweet and wholesomely symbiotic, others are quite poisonous; Goldberg is the rare positive force (imparting a glimmer of “Dead Poets Society”), while Jolie’s turn is decidedly of the latter, giving a remarkably convincing display of volatility. Ultimately, “Girl, Interrupted” becomes a performance piece, showcasing the talents of the cast over a riveting premise with complex, indelible activities in a snake pit.

– Mike Massie