|
Sunday, 23 January 2005 |
  No matter how much we may want to deny it, we are all to some degree the result of our upbringing. Those who are lucky are completely enriched by their childhoods, but most have something to overcome. White Oleander is the story of a young girl, Astrid Magnussen (Alison Lohman), who is dealt a few more obstacles than most. She is the only child of single mother Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) a talented but insecure and vindictive artist. Ingrid's goal in life is to not let anyone, particularly men, get close enough that they have the ability to cause her pain. So, she goes through life attempting to hurt others before they get the opportunity to hurt her. To Ingrid, betrayal is not just a possibility, but an inevitability.
When Ingrid meets Barry Kolker (Billy Connolly) she lets her guard down, only to find Barry is even shallower and more selfish than she is. Not to be outdone, Ingrid plans the ultimate revenge on Barry, which lands her in prison for 35 years to life. Of course, as Ingrid is blinded by her thirst for vengeance, she never gives a second thought to the consequences, not only for herself, but her 12 year old daughter. When Ingrid is carted off in handcuffs, Astrid, who has never known her father and does not even know his name, is left to a future of state schools and foster homes.
White Oleander is a powerful and well written character study, following Astrid as she moves from one environment to another, each with its unique set of benefits and drawbacks. When she is placed with a judgmental, fundamentalist and somewhat hypocritical woman (Robin Wright Penn) she also meets a young boy who teaches her something about the power of knowledge. When she is sent to a state school, she is forced to fight for her safety, but also meets Paul Trout (Patrick Fugit) who shares her artistic skill and begins to show her what a healthy relationship can be. A loving, but severely insecure actress (Renée Zellweger, in a stellar performance) leaves her with a lasting sense of what it is to be cared for. A capitalist Russian foster mother (Svetlana Efremova), in her way, teaches Astrid how to stand up for herself. Each of these individuals, for both good and bad, serves to mold Astrid into the woman she becomes at the end.
White Oleander is adapted from the novel by Janet Fitch, which gained many readers as a selection in the Oprah Book Club. Adapting novels is always a touchy issue, since there is no way to include every single aspect of the source, and White Oleander is no exception. Understandably, a common comment has been that it is not as good as the book, but film adaptations should not be expected to be a carbon copy of the source, but more of a companion piece. The film needs to stand on its own feet respect the spirit of the source while functioning within the scope of film, and White Oleander does this successfully.
More importantly, the comments on the film vs. the book do not consider what the film offers which a book cannot, and in this case that is particularly sensitive direction and a collection of fine performances. Robin Wright Penn is an actress who is not afraid to appear unattractive, and her role as Starr is no exception. Starr may seem stereotypical and even exaggerated in her extreme dedication to her beliefs, but she is actually quite realistic. I have known more than one person like Starr. Michelle Pfeiffer portrays Ingrid as having an almost mythical power, which is probably influenced by how Astrid perceives her. Ingrid is determined and larger than life as she struts up to Barry's house, while Astrid sits in the car practicing the "I'm too good for you" behavior of her mother. Renée Zellweger gives a particularly notable performance as Claire, a woman who tries to be outgoing and confident but almost completely lacks any feeling of self worth. It is a fascinating irony that Claire is so insecure, yet jogs along the beach with such confidence, encouraging Astrid to keep up. In the end, it is Claire who may have the most profoundly positive influence on Astrid, even more than Paul.
The film may seem disjointed, but this simply reflects Astrid's life. She does not experience much continuity as she is jerked from one location to another and the movie is quite successful at portraying that. The only real weakness, a common fault with movies of this type, is its relative ineffectiveness at showing the passage of time. Virtually no clues are given to how much time has passed between the different segments of the story, but in the end, this is a minor quibble since overall the direction is more than solid.
Pardon me while I gush...
Every once in a while a performance comes along from a previously unknown or little known actress which is nothing short of remarkable. It is something that normally happens maybe once a decade. In the 90s, there were two cases where a little known actress gave such a performance. The first was in 1991 by a 14 year old girl named Reese Witherspoon in the last film from director Robert Mulligan (To Kill a Mockingbird) titled The Man in the Moon. Yes, that's right. The star of Legally Blonde. Before Legally Blonde, Witherspoon appeared in several highly regarded roles, including the dark comedy Election from Director Andrew Payne (Sideways) and the viciously dark Freeway, a film which originally earned an NC-17 rating, for language. Freeway, and another film she appeared in, American Psycho, exhibited the willingness Witherspoon had for appearing in searing, wickedly dark comedies. These two films are definitely not for all tastes. The second performance of this caliber came from Australian über actress Cate Blanchett (The Aviator) starring in the 1998 film Elizabeth, a performance which absolutely must be seen. While these wonderful performances rarely garner high profile attention, Blanchett did receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination, which she lost to Gwyneth Paltrow.
The performance by Alison Lohman as Astrid Magnussen is every bit as worthy of attention as those by Witherspoon and Blanchett. Astrid is not a simple character to play. She has very few lines, though she is in virtually every shot in the film. It is Lohman's uncanny talent of expression as well as her ability to physically become her character which, in large part, makes her perfect for the role. While Lohman was actually 22 years old, she plays an early teen during the beginning of the movie convincingly enough that it becomes difficult to accept her as a 20 year old woman at the end.
Astrid also changes significantly in her appearance and personality throughout the film. With many actresses, this would be portrayed merely by applying different wrapping to the same package, but Lohman manages a remarkable transformation as she gradually changes from a sweet, blonde teen, to a bitter, stark, Goth, who sneers at her mother as she systematically dismantles her during their final scene together. The change is so convincing, it is almost impossible to picture them as the same person.
Of course, a physical transformation, no matter how profound and convincing, is not enough to place a performance among the ones mentioned earlier. It still comes down to the acting. It is probably the fact that Astrid has so few lines which allows Lohman to shine. Her reactions to what happens around her are not overblown. In fact, through all that happens, Astrid only loses control for one rather brief moment. The fact is, this type of subtle, but powerful performance is not what typically draws much attention, though it should. The real drama of the character comes from the quiet but determined way in which she threatens a bully at McKinney Hall. She doesn't raise a fuss, but it is patently clear she means what she says. It is the way she hesitates before telling Paul "You're not Ugly." It is the barely contained sense of contempt as she tells her mother "Then you can rot in here", and it is the small flourish after she is handed a stack of letters near the end of the film.
Lohman has garnered some critical praise, but still has to move beyond her younger characters to receive the attention she deserves. Her performance in Matchstick Men was quite effective, but was also too much of a gimmick character for the talent it required to be taken seriously. It is her next film, Where the Truth Lies, scheduled for release in 2005, which holds greatest promise. She is not only joined by a strong cast, which includes Kevin Bacon (Mystic River) and Colin Firth (Bridget Jones' Diary), but also the talented Egyptian born and Canadian raised director Atom Egoyan. Any movie fan should make a point of seeing Egoyan's 1997 film The Sweet Hereafter, which some critics consider to be the best English language film of the '90s. His skill for subtlety, subtext and bringing the best out of his cast should make for a rewarding watch.
My suggestion is to rent White Oleander and watch Lohman and all of her co-stars closely. This is some fine acting. Starr (Robin Wright Penn) and Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) are the type of stereotypical, seemingly overblown characters which are actually so real, it can be difficult to accept them in film. Astrid and Claire (Renée Zellweger) are every bit as much real, but so subdued, they risk being run over by the more charismatic characters. These are four talented actresses, and Zellweger in particular gives the best dramatic performance of her career in a small but critical role. Next, rent Elizabeth and The Man in the Moon and see two more of the finest performances of the last 15 years.
Starring: Alison Lohman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Renée Zellweger, Robin Wright Penn, Patrick Fugit, Noah Wyle, Svetlana Efremova, Billy Connolly.
Director: Peter Kosminsky
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 109 mins
Release: 2002
Reviewer: John Rice |
All Reviews and original content © 2004-2007 Slacker-Reviews.com. Any reproduction in whole or in part without the express written consent of Slacker-Reviews.com is a violation of applicable laws.
Modification and hosting by Rice Photography & Design
|
Movie Article List 
