the conclusion is so unsatisfying: the story, having failed to provide itself with character conflicts that can be resolved with drama, turns to melodrama instead." charlotte o'sullivan of the time out film guide praised jolie's performance, but was critical of ryder's, writing: "does it matter that every time jolie's offscreen the film wilts a little? ryder should be perfect as the bright spark; her lines are sharp as a knife. there's a gap, however, between what we hear and what we see. ryder's too wide-eyed and cutesy, and when we see her with nurse valerie (goldberg), we know it's only a matter of time before they start hugging." the san francisco chronicle's peter stack was unimpressed by the film, deeming it "a muddled production that misses the jarring tone of the autobiographical book by susanna kaysen on which it is based. the film is entertaining, but not very powerful." jami bernard of the new york daily news gave the film a mixed review, awarding it two out of four stars, writing that " is often just a crumpled, listless figure on a bed, which, while true to the nature of depression, is not, cinematically speaking, the most arresting image," and likening the performances of whoopi goldberg and vanessa redgrave as "bordering on cameos". author opinion the author, susanna kaysen, was among the detractors of the film, accusing mangold of adding "melodramatic drivel" to the story by inventing plot points that were not in the book (such as lisa and susanna running away together). themes confusion of social nonconformity with insanity susanna wonders if her prolonged stay at claymoore is justified. the doctor is hasty in his analysis of her and bases his diagnosis on preconceived ideas relating to gender bias. her diagnosis suggests that "normal" is as relative as insanity is, and kaysen interrogates the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders definition of borderline personality disorder, calling it a "generalization" rather than a specific case study. she points out that while she is considered recovered from that condition, she still has the first symptom, which is "uncertainty about several life issues". while susanna is speaking to her doctor melvin, she calls the rest of the patients "fucking crazy" and that she does not belong with them; however, her parents and the doctor think otherwise, and soon she also realizes that she's not much different than them. forced institutionalization lisa calls therapy "the-rapey", which is a play on words insinuating that the therapy they are forced to undergo in the institution feels like rape (psychological) and says the more a person divulges their secrets, the more likely they would be considered for release. however, on the flip side for people like susanna and lisa, who claim to have no secrets, the option of release seems oblique. "although the construct of the asylum represented an immeasurable tool in the pursuit to expiate mental illness, the respect for patient autonomy appeared to have been relegated to those without mental illness". in 1973, the infamous phrase "dying with one's rights on" was coined by darold treffert, referring to the ultimate prioritization of patient autonomy over beneficence. representations of being a woman with mental illness the emergence of women's liberation movements in the 1960s is of significance to the period kaysen's memoir is set. the rights as well as standards were set much differently for women than they were men. doctor melvin originally doesn't inform susanna of her diagnosis, deeming it was unnecessary for her to know. eventually, when he informs her of the diagnosis, he cites the disorder being more common in women than in men. subsequent studies on the understandings of the linkages between gender and mental health since the 1960s and 1970s have identified a more even gender balance in overall levels of mental health as they have incorporated a wider range of disorders. isolation the physical depiction of claymoore is reminiscent of a prison. with bar-covered windows and regular room inspections to make sure the girls are not causing harm to themselves as well as not trying to escape, the girls are subject to the mercy of the ever watchful staff. the theme of isolation is exhibited in susanna's life as neither her parents nor her boyfriend (who quits after a few attempts) come to visit her in the institution. the theme of isolation also serves as a protective shield from the dangers of the outside world as even lisa complains that "there's nobody to take care of you out there", and people like torrey are safe from an abusive home and drug-pushing environment. accolades award ceremony date of ceremony category recipient(s) result ref(s) academy awards march 26, 2000 best supporting actress angelina jolie won artios awards november 1, 2000 best casting in a feature film – drama lisa beach nominated blockbuster entertainment awards may 9, 2000 favorite actress – drama winona ryder nominated favorite supporting actress – drama angelina jolie won chicago film critics association awards march 13, 2000 best supporting actress angelina jolie nominated critics' choice movie awards january 24, 2000 best supporting actress angelina jolie won empire awards february 19, 2001 best actress angelina jolie nominated golden globe awards january 23, 2000 best supporting actress – motion picture angelina jolie won san diego film critics society awards december 20, 1999 best supporting actress angelina jolie runner-up screen actors guild awards march 12, 2000 outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role angelina jolie won teen choice awards august 6, 2000 choice movie – drama girl, interrupted nominated choice movie actress angelina jolie nominated choice movie – hissy fit nominated young artist awards march 19, 2000 best leading young actress in a feature film brittany murphy nominated soundtrack the film's official soundtrack was released on january 18, 2000. no.titleartistlength1."downtown"petula clark3:052."it's all over now, baby blue"them3:503."got a feelin'"the mamas and the papas2:444."time has come today"the chambers brothers2:375."comin' back to me"jefferson airplane5:146."angel of the morning"merrilee rush3:197."right time"aretha franklin4:458."how to fight loneliness"wilco3:529."the weight"the band4:2310."the end of the world"skeeter davis2:33