By Tracie Morris
When you were fifteen, could you have imagined your mother murdering her lover? Would you have been able to handle being tossed into foster care and watching life as you’ve know it disappear as though it never even existed? The movie “White Oleander” tells the story of such a life, and it’s now playing in theatres.
Michelle Pfeiffer stars as Ingrid Magnussen, an artist and scorned woman who poisons her lover. Ingrid is arrested and sent to jail, leaving behind her daughter Astrid (Alison Lohman), who ends up in the hands of the system and is placed into foster care until she reaches the age of eighteen.
Astrid’s world does a complete nosedive, and her journey throughout this movie is about her finding her own way. She moves from foster family to foster family, including those belonging to trashy Starr (Robin Wright-Penn) and fragile Claire (Renee Zellweger). Astrid must learn how to survive in this environment and to always expect the unexpected, and in doing that she realizes she must break free from the grasp that her mother has upon her life, even though she’s in jail.
During these years we witness Astrid’s transformation as she is finding her own way, becoming her own person and finding the true meaning of love. The characters on the screen are very much like those in Janet Fitch’s novel upon which the film is based. It’s rare to find a movie that stays true to the written text.
The future may bring many awards for the picture and cast. Pfeiffer’s portrayal is great and her love of Ingrid is awesome because you really feel that she loves her daughter, but at the same time, her love is sucking the life out of Astrid. Lohman holds her own against her big- name co-stars. After seeing this movie, no one will guess that this film is her first major movie role. She proves a powerful actress and should receive the highest honor for her high-caliber performance.
Cardinal Grade: A
