

Set in the changing world of the late 1960s, Susanna Kaysen's prescribed "short rest" from a psychiatrist she had met only once becomes a strange, unknown journey into Alice's Wonderland, where she struggles with the thin line between normal and crazy. Susanna soon realizes how hard it is to get out once she has been committed, and she ultimately has to choose between the world of people who belong inside or the difficult world of reality outside.
Acting
Jolie's Oscar-winning chaos energy; Murphy's devastating fragility.
Production
Ward 6 feels like a time capsule of institutional beige and fluorescent dread.
Writing
Adapts Kaysen's memoir with respect for ambiguity—no easy answers given.

Director
James Mangold
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Susanna Kaysen makes a cameo as the woman sitting by the nurse's desk during Susanna's admissions scene.
Released the same year as 'Fight Club' and 'American Beauty,' completing 1999's trifecta of white male disaffection—except this one's about women institutionalized for having feelings.
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