Girl, Interrupted
written by James Mangold, Lisa Loomer, & Anna Hamilton Phelan, from the book by Susanna Kaysen
Daisy: Give me the Valium.
Lisa: We don't need your daddy's money.
Daisy: Then leave it there, just give me the fucking Valium.
(She extends her hand to Lisa and Lisa grabs her arm and pulls up the sleeve of her robe to reveal a badly-cut arm.)
Lisa: What's this?
Daisy: (struggles to get free) Let go.
Lisa: What's this, huh? Trying out your new silver?
Daisy: Get the fuck off me! (frees herself from Lisa's grip and starts for the stairs)
Lisa: Less appealing for Daddy, hmm?
Susanna: Lisa...?
Daisy: Look at your own arm, asshole.
Lisa: I'm sick, Daisy, we know that, but here you are in so-called recovery, playing Betty Crocker, cut up like a goddamned Virginia Ham.
Susanna: Lisa, just stop it!
Lisa: (sits on a chair, holding her cigarette) Help me understand, Dais, 'cause I thought you didn't do Valium. Tell me how the safety net is working for you...Tell me that you don't take that blade and drag it across your skin and pray for the courage to press down. Tell me how your Daddy...
Susanna: (under breath) Christ.
Lisa: ...helps you cope with that. Illuminate me.
Daisy: My father loves me.
Lisa: (nodding) I bet...with every inch of his manhood.
Susanna: (disgusted) Oh, God.
Daisy: I'm going to sleep now.
(Daisy walks upstairs. Lisa rocks back on chair and takes a drag on the cigarette.)
Daisy: Please be gone in the morning. You're just jealous, Lisa, because I got better. Because I was released. Because I have a chance... at a life.
Lisa: They didn't release you because you're better, Daisy. They just gave up. You call this a life, hmm? Taking daddy's money, buying your dollies and your knick-knacks, and eating his fucking chicken, fattening up like a prize fucking heifer? You changed the scenery, but not the fucking situation, and the warden makes house calls. And everybody knows... everybody knows (runs tongue across teeth) that he fucks you. But what they don't know, is that you like it. Hmm? You like it.
Susanna: Shut the fuck up!
Lisa: But hey, man, it's cool. It's fine! It's fucking fine! A man is a dick, is a man is a dick, is a chicken. Valium, speculum, whatever, hmm? Whatever. You like being Mrs. Randone. Probably all you've ever known.
Daisy: Have fun in Florida.
(Lisa gets up, moves to another chair, takes another drag and giggles.)
Lisa: Yeah.
Kudos and much thanks go to Dafna & Lola (respectively) for this monologue, it is very much appreciated. I did notice there were slight but crucial differences between the two submissions, and I haven't seen the movie yet, so I did the best that I could with what I was given. As of May 2005, three visitors (Vanessa, "Soggy Toast", and Tara) sent in corrections to this piece. Thank you all three people.