White Oleander (2002)
Directed by Peter Kominsky
Written by Mary Agnes Donaghue
Starring Michele Pfeiffer, Allison Lohman, Renee Zellweger, Noah Wyle, Cole Hauser, Patrick Fugit
Releasse Date October 11th, 2002
Published October 10th, 2002
In What Lies Beneath Michele Pfeiffer spends the first three quarters of the film giving the best performance of her career. A performance that was vulnerable and wrenching, combining madness and sanity with depth and sexuality. Then the film becomes a typical horror slasher movie with an un-killable and unbelievable villain that ruins the entire film. Now with White Oleander, Pfeiffer is allowed to complete the performance she started in What Lies Beneath and finally give the best performance of her career.
In White Oleander, Pfeiffer stars as Ingrid Magnusson, a talented but highly troubled artist and mother. Alison Lohman is Ingrid’s daughter Astrid, who quietly witnesses her mother's madness yet still worships her. After Ingrid is sent to jail for killing her lover, Astrid is moved to a series of horrendous foster homes but cannot escape the reach of her mother who fears that she is losing control of her daughter.
The first foster home Astrid is sent to belongs to a former stripper turned born again Christian named Starr (Robin Wright Penn). At first Starr seems merely strange and highly hypocritical, she is born again but lives with a married man, Ray, played by Cole Hauser. As the story proceeds we find that there is far more wrong with Starr than mere hypocrisy. As Astrid gets to know and like Ray, Starr begins to suspect that Astrid is trying to seduce him.
As it turns out it’s the other way around. Though Ray never tries anything with Astrid the attraction is there and leads to a dangerous climax. Ray and Starr disappear and Astrid is sent to an orphanage where she meets a fellow artist and kindred spirit named Paul played by Almost Famous star Patrick Fugit. The tentative romance is a little rushed but the actors chemistry is good enough to cover any problems caused by the poor scripting.
Astrid and Paul’s relationship is short lived as Astrid is shuttled to another foster home. This time it’s the upscale home of an actress named Claire (Renee Zellweger) and her producer husband Mark ("E.R’s" Noah Wyle). Astrid quickly begins to enjoy her new home though trouble is obvious as Claire suspects Mark’s frequent travel is hiding something. And of course there is Ingrid who, without Astrid’s knowledge, has begun to contact Claire and would like to meet her.
Astrid is quick to notice her mothers’ malevolent intentions but Claire is oblivious and once she is drawn into Ingrid’s web Claire is quick to crumble. With Ingrid’s prodding, Claire becomes more suspicious of Mark and distant from Astrid, leading to an emotional ending that is the film's emotional climax. Watching Pfeiffer and Zellweger play scenes together is remarkable. Both actresses are giving everything they have and it is a sight to see.
The mother-daughter relationship is the film's centerpiece and Pfeiffer and Lohman work like clockwork. Trading lines of dialogue as if they had worked together forever, their characters come to life in each other's presence. Each actress brings the best out of the other and their scenes together are riveting and intense. Oscar should call on both of these actresses.
That’s not to say that the film they inhabit isn’t flawed. Indeed were it not for the strong performances the film would no doubt collapse under it’s clichés. There is only so much sadness an audience can endure and White Oleander lays it on pretty thick, forcing Lohman into situations that would lead most sane people to consider taking their own life.
White Oleander is certainly no advertisement for the foster care system as Astrid is dropped on the doorstep of people far too obviously damaged to be real. Robin Wright Penn’s Starr is an unmarried former stripper caring for three foster kids even before she takes in Astrid. Renee Zellweger’s Claire, while affluent enough to provide a home for a child, has a history of suicidal tendencies and taking in children as if they were pets, sending them back if her husband seems unhappy. Astrid’s last foster home experience is with a Russian prostitute who has her foster children sift through garbage for things to sell at flea markets or steal from other children she takes in.
The most glaring problem is the lack of a fully fleshed out male character to balance the female centric vibe. Patrick Fugit is great but his character is far too sweet and accepting to be believed and he doesn’t get enough screen time to establish a real presence. Nevertheless it’s the two lead performances by Lohman and Pfeiffer that make White Oleander easy to recommend. Forget the ridiculous chick flick label, great performances are great performances, no matter what the gender. Great acting deserves to be appreciated, and White Oleander is blessed with great acting.
