Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Sounds like Quint is having a relaxed, leisurely stroll through his schedule in Mill Valley, as opposed to Harry, who appears to be stuffing films in ever possible hole just as quickly as he can. This means Quint is able to report in first, and he’s got a look at a film I know next to nothing about, despite a pretty heavy-hitting cast...
Ahoy squirts. 'Tis everybody's favorite crusty ol' seaman, Quint, here reporting in from my little room at a secluded B&B in Mill Valley, CA. Thursday was the first night of the film festival which boasted 2 opening films. The first, which I didn't see, was FRIDA. I had planned to see FRIDA, but it turned out it was playing at a theater a few miles away, while the second opening film, WHITE OLEANDER, was playing at the Sequoia theater, a 5 minute walk from here. I will see FRIDA in a few days, though, so keep checking back for my review of that one.
Before I get into my review of WHITE OLEANDER, let me give you folks who have never been to Northern California an idea of the setting of this film festival. I imagine this is how SUNDANCE felt when it first started. Mill Valley is a very small town, heavily into the arts, just over the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. The town itself feels like it comes straight out of a movie. It's a quiet, quaint town, but I've seen at least 3 different super model-type women, dressed in high heels and clothes fresh off a Fashion Show run way, walking their Best In Show, pure bred dogs down the street. The town is surrounded by lush forest. Pine trees, a few redwoods... Beautiful.
But enough about that. Let's get to the movie. WHITE OLEANDER isn't the movie I was expecting at all. I had never heard of the book and had only seen the trailer, which kinda makes it out to be an empowering chick flick, which is nice and all, but not my cup of tea. Feel good movie WHITE OLEANDER is not. Director Peter Kosminsky has captured human beings at their worst in this film. Manipulation through both love and hate, jealousy run rampant, hypocrisy that would make a politician shudder... It's all in this film.
The movie follows young Astrid, played with amazing depth by Alison Lohman, as her life goes into chaos when her artist mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) is tossed in jail for murdering her lover. Astrid is thrown into foster care, sent to stay with a hypocritical bible thumping trailer trash woman (Robin Wright Penn), her (married) lover (PITCH BLACK's Cole Hauser) and a handful of kids.
What's both great and terrible about the character of Astrid is she acts as a mirror to her surroundings. When living with Pfeiffer, she was a strong, independent young woman always dressed in silky or rich clothes. When she's thrown into the trailer, she drops her independent ideals and starts becoming more like Penn's character. She picks up Christianity, she dresses like Penn... in unflattering trailer trash neon pink spandex... But she doesn't just pick up Penn's religion... she also picks up her hypocrisy, which makes her life in that house come to a rather violent end.
Throughout the movie Astrid is dumped into a state sponsored facility for foster kids (aka Hell), is taken in by an actress (Renee Zellweger) and her traveling husband (Noah Wyle), dumped off with a gypsy family... For each environment she adapts, either trying to find her true self or maybe just using an animal survival instinct to be like the pack. But no matter where she is, Pfeiffer's shadow looms over her life. We see Pfeiffer act as a puppet master from prison and our hope that she's trying to guide Astrid for her own good starts depleting. Is Pfeiffer looking out for her daughter or just playing a game to keep her entertained while in jail? Or is she trying to turn Astrid into someone she isn't? Or maybe she's just a loving mother. You'll have to see the movie to find out which of the above (if any) it is.
This movie is heartbreaking. Astrid finds herself at many crossroads during the film, forcing her to choose which direction to go. I couldn't help but fall in love with Astrid and felt terrible when I saw her take the wrong road, knowing it would lead her to more pain. In the chaos of being shuffled from home to home there are two constants in her life: her mother and a boy obsessed with drawing comic books at the home for foster kids (played by ALMOST FAMOUS' Patrick Fugit). This kid loves her and wants to build a life with her. We know Astrid wants this as well, but her priorities keep shuffling around, changing with every situation she finds herself in. We, the audience, can see where we want her to go and get frustrated when she doesn't go that way. But no matter how dark the movie gets, we know that all she needs to do is find it within herself to see how to be happy in life.
The performances in this film are top notch. Pfeiffer gives a career best performance. Lohman carries this movie with a certain ease. We'll be seeing some great things from her in the future, I'm sure. Zellweger is also great and sympathetic. Fugit brings a bit of the innocence from his ALMOST FAMOUS role to this film. Between ALMOST FAMOUS, SPUN and WHITE OLEANDER, I think Fugit has more than proven his ability. I can't wait to see what his next film brings.
This isn't the type of film you expect from a big studio. It's very personal, very dark, very character driven with little to no action. Expect to hear the Academy shower praises upon this film, particularly the actors involved. The movie has grown better and better the more I think about it. It's not the kind of movie I would want to go out and see 5 times in the theater and turn up at one in the morning at Wal Mart the day it comes out on DVD to add it to my home film library, but it is a very strong film that deserves to be seen. It's not for everybody, but I highly recommend it.
I'll be back very soon with more coverage of this film festival. I see WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD and INTACTO tonight. I'll let you know what I thought of those two flicks, and I should also be getting some very cool interviews in the next few days.
Just a reminder... if you're a Bay Area geek and want to say hi, you can reach me at 512-557-4194... Of if you're George Lucas and want to give me the script to Episode 3... you can reach me there, too... I won't be holding my breath...
Anyway, this is Quint bidding you all a fond farewell and adieu.
-Quint
