For this analysis, I have selected the visual art film Girl, Interrupted directed by James Mangold

(Mangold, J.M. (Director). (1999). Girl, Interrupted [Film]. Columbia Pictures Corporation).

1. Girl, Interrupted represents diverse perspectives surrounding mental illness, gender, social class,
sexuality, and generational differences. The film gives voice to young women from varying backgrounds
grappling with issues like depression, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders. It shows how societal
stigmas and oppressive gender norms of the era pathologized behaviors of women who did not conform
(Grose, 2019). The film's ensemble cast encompasses characters from working class roots like Susanna
and affluent upbringings like Lisa, showing how mental health cuts across class lines. Additionally, the
film subtly touches on emerging perspectives around sexuality and LGBTQ+ identities through
supporting characters.

2. My self-concept as a middle-class, college-educated American woman in her 20s definitely shapes how
I interpret this film. While mental health is still impacted by stigma today, my perspective is influenced
by growing up in a time of greater openness, resources, and advocacy around psychological disorders
compared to when Girl, Interrupted was set (Hinshaw & Stier, 2008). My generational disconnect may
cause me to perceive societal misogyny and oppressive treatment methods in the film's setting as more
obsolete or extreme than they seemed at the time. However, my identity could align my perspective closer
with the protagonists' experiences of feeling othered, confined, and pathologized by systemic biases based
on gender.

3. Interpretation of Girl, Interrupted would likely vary across different groups based on sociocultural
factors:
- Older generations who experienced the 1960s may recognize problematic but prevalent attitudes of
the era depicted more vividly (Hogan, 2003).
- Members of the counterculture generation may perceive the characters' anti-establishment mindsets as
empowering (Preucel, 2018).
- Groups from different cultures could perceive concepts like institutionalization, acceptable behaviors
for women, and sexuality through their own cultural lenses (Calhoun et al., 2002).
- Marginalized groups like the LGBTQ+ community may closely relate to feeling ostracized for non-
conformity (McDermott et al., 2018).
- Mental health professionals could analyze the ethics and evolving treatment modalities compared to
today's practices (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999).

By exploring a creative work through the lens of diverse perspectives and self-concept, we can unpack the
nuanced sociocultural influences that impact how stories and art are understood across different contexts.

References:
Calhoun, C., LiPuma, E., & Postone, M. (Eds.). (2002). Ethnography and the modern social critics.
Transaction Publishers.

Grose, J. (2019, November 13). Girl, Interrupted at 20: Did the Film Lack Empathy? The New York
Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/movies/girl-interrupted-20th-anniversary.html

Hinshaw, S. P., & Stier, A. (2008). Stigma as related to mental disorders. Annual Review of Clinical
Psychology, 4, 367–393. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.4.022007.141245