Girl Interrupted was directed by James Mangold. It’s a drama that focuses on a young lady who is admitted to a psychiatric hospital after she attempts to die by suicide.
The movie is based on the years from 1967 to 1987, when she spent her time recovering. The movie is based on Susanna Kaysen’s account from 1960, when she stayed in a mental health institution.
The main setup is based in Claymoore. It’s the hospital where Susanna is admitted. She meets other young women like her and finds a mutual bond with them. In this post, we will take a look at the filming locations of the movie.
Synopsis
The movie is based in the world of the 1960s, which is rapidly changing, Susanna played by Winona Ryder, is the main character, a young lady who is at a mental institution for agitated young women.
In the movie, she is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and because of this, she is surrounded by depression.
There, she must decide between the people who are at the side, like the dangerous and seductive Lisa, played by Angelina Jolie, or the difficult reality that exists outside the facility. The movie beautifully shows the struggle she faces while handling her mental situation.
Girl, Interrupted Filming Locations
The movie was heavily filmed in various locations in Pennsylvania. It is a natural base of industrial and agricultural output, parallel to producers and moviemakers.
As per sources, the movie began shooting in January 1999 and wrapped up the shoot in April 1999. Pennsylvania is known for its breathtaking location and impressive beings filled with interesting takes to tell.
Because of this all-around aura and the ability to take care of diverse groups of people, it is not surprising to see many great movies being filmed there. It has been a crucial part of the movie history and has been serving the cinema since its early days. Now, let’s go to all the locations that we see in the movie.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Some of the scenes in ‘Girl, Interrupted’ were shot in Harrisburg. The town has a rich and flavored history that goes back more than 300 years. The town is situated adjacent to the river Susquehanna and is the state capital of the city of Pennsylvania.
This city is applauded for its rich ancestral history and serene locations. This city also had active involvement in the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, and the Westward Expansion.
The production and filling team went to Harrisburg State Hospital, a.k.a. Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital, to shoot major and important scenes in the film. It is situated at Cameron and Maclay Streets, conveniently in Claymoore. The next place we saw in the movie was the Market Street Bridge.
The house of Dr. Crumble is located at 2100 Chestnut Street. In a scene, we saw a van moving towards downtown Harrisburg, passing the State Street Bridge. In that shot, we also got a glimpse of the Capitol Building.
The State Capital Building of Pennsylvania is situated in Harrisburg and represents a government seat for the state. Its Beaux Arts style architecture was completed in 1996 by Joseph Miller Huston.
Other locations in Pennsylvania
Other than Harrisburg, some other cities were also used to film the scenes of the movie, which made the final released cut. The filming team went to Hanover, a borough in York County, situated 20 miles southwest of York.
The Reading Public Museum was also seen in the movie. This is a crucial landmark in the history of the place and is located at 500 Museum Road in the city of Reading. But the scenes that were shot here were omitted from the actual movie. The house in which we saw Daisy is a private land present at 218 North Pine Street in Lancaster.
Other than that, we also saw an establishment on East Main Street, Mechanicsburg, that’s where the ice cream parlor was present in the film. That site hosted the dessert shop that goes by the name Eckels Ice-Cream Fountain, which has been shut permanently.
The town was in the plan for filming because of its old-styled buildings and architecture. The old drug store known as Drugs in Mechanicsburg serves as another filming site.
All of these locations looked at dates and served aptly for the time of the movie. It made the narrative strong and organic, which was in favor of the movie.
