The film White Oleander is a series of contrasts. On the one hand, it is heavy. It made me feel, for lack of a better analogy, very "weighed down" while watching it. It isn't an all-out misery-fest by any stretch of the imagination, but I would have to say that the story is a string of unfortunate events, each one following hard after the other.
On the other hand, the plot leaves something to be desired. Many characters struck me as caricatures. They were like card-board cutouts of real people. On the surface they appear as perfect copies of the real thing, but from another angle they are seen as flat and one-dimensional. Parts of the story seemed hurried over- I felt like there was so much more depth to the places and people that Astrid experienced along the way than what we were able to see. We can see the mark that these places and people leave on her, but we aren't always able to get a good sense of the time it took to make those marks. Endless conversations were left out, along with other seemingly insignificant moments that it took to shape Astrid's history. Granted, Astrid's past is meant to be somewhat of a mystery, but that is no excuse for the movie being so utterly light on detail.
This movie follows the story of Astrid Magnussen, whose life is turned upside down when her mother, Ingrid Magnussen commits murder. Ingrid kills her own on-and-off again boyfriend, Barry Kolker. Whether we are supposed to find this crime justified or not is up for dispute, but the lack of remorse that Ingrid has about it is pretty unsettling. In fact, Ingrid seems to display little remorse about anything that she does. She claims that all of her actions are out of love for her daughter, generally ignoring the negative impact that her selfishness ends up having on Astrid's life.
Astrid- and to a certain extent, her mother- is one of the few characters in the movie that seems fully dimensional and believable. She is quiet, pensive, and eager to please. She's like a plant just coming into maturity, but one that is struggling to blossom in contrary conditions. It seems that every time she begins to root herself, she is suddenly uprooted and must accustom herself to strange soil. Through it all, her mother constantly cautions her to "remember who you are." But if she has never known, how can she remember?
Alison Lohman's performance as Astrid is moving. She plays the curious, conflicted teenager authentically. I think though, that as many have said before me, Michelle Pfiefer steals the show. She slips into the role of the territorial, eccentric Ingrid with almost disturbing ease. You look at her and actually believe she is a cold-hearted killer, perhaps a sociopath, but at the same time you can't help but wonder if the heart of a mother still beats in that chest. That is for me to know, and you to find out.
Everyone else in the movie gives performances of only passing quality, forgettable really, although Renee Zelwegger does distinguish herself to a certain degree even if her character came across as very overplayed. I guess therein lies part of the problem with the movie. You have two individuals nearly shining in their roles, with everyone else appearing as just a faint glimmer. The second part of the problem lies in the fact that the story just doesn't quite sell itself. This is supposed to seem REAL, and somehow, it falls short. We do get a glance at the shoddy quality of some foster homes and youth homes in America, the reality of older children being shuffled about and rejected, but that's where the realism ends for me.
Despite the low rating that I am awarding this film, it's definitely one I'd recommend. The subject matter makes it a thought-provoking piece that begs introspection. Another bonus is that the soundtrack is quite nice. This is actually a film with awesome potential that pretty much flopped in the pacing and presentation.
On the other hand, the plot leaves something to be desired. Many characters struck me as caricatures. They were like card-board cutouts of real people. On the surface they appear as perfect copies of the real thing, but from another angle they are seen as flat and one-dimensional. Parts of the story seemed hurried over- I felt like there was so much more depth to the places and people that Astrid experienced along the way than what we were able to see. We can see the mark that these places and people leave on her, but we aren't always able to get a good sense of the time it took to make those marks. Endless conversations were left out, along with other seemingly insignificant moments that it took to shape Astrid's history. Granted, Astrid's past is meant to be somewhat of a mystery, but that is no excuse for the movie being so utterly light on detail.
This movie follows the story of Astrid Magnussen, whose life is turned upside down when her mother, Ingrid Magnussen commits murder. Ingrid kills her own on-and-off again boyfriend, Barry Kolker. Whether we are supposed to find this crime justified or not is up for dispute, but the lack of remorse that Ingrid has about it is pretty unsettling. In fact, Ingrid seems to display little remorse about anything that she does. She claims that all of her actions are out of love for her daughter, generally ignoring the negative impact that her selfishness ends up having on Astrid's life.
Astrid- and to a certain extent, her mother- is one of the few characters in the movie that seems fully dimensional and believable. She is quiet, pensive, and eager to please. She's like a plant just coming into maturity, but one that is struggling to blossom in contrary conditions. It seems that every time she begins to root herself, she is suddenly uprooted and must accustom herself to strange soil. Through it all, her mother constantly cautions her to "remember who you are." But if she has never known, how can she remember?
Alison Lohman's performance as Astrid is moving. She plays the curious, conflicted teenager authentically. I think though, that as many have said before me, Michelle Pfiefer steals the show. She slips into the role of the territorial, eccentric Ingrid with almost disturbing ease. You look at her and actually believe she is a cold-hearted killer, perhaps a sociopath, but at the same time you can't help but wonder if the heart of a mother still beats in that chest. That is for me to know, and you to find out.
Everyone else in the movie gives performances of only passing quality, forgettable really, although Renee Zelwegger does distinguish herself to a certain degree even if her character came across as very overplayed. I guess therein lies part of the problem with the movie. You have two individuals nearly shining in their roles, with everyone else appearing as just a faint glimmer. The second part of the problem lies in the fact that the story just doesn't quite sell itself. This is supposed to seem REAL, and somehow, it falls short. We do get a glance at the shoddy quality of some foster homes and youth homes in America, the reality of older children being shuffled about and rejected, but that's where the realism ends for me.
Despite the low rating that I am awarding this film, it's definitely one I'd recommend. The subject matter makes it a thought-provoking piece that begs introspection. Another bonus is that the soundtrack is quite nice. This is actually a film with awesome potential that pretty much flopped in the pacing and presentation.