Lost and Delirious (2001)

Director:

Léa Pool

Writers:

Susan Swan (novel)
Judith Thompson (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 July 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Drama

Tagline:

Friends. Roommates. Lovers.

Plot:

A newcomer to a posh girls boarding school discovers that her two senior roommates are lovers.

Plot Keywords:

Roommate | Girls' Boarding School | Groundskeeper | Lesbian | Gardener

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Piper Perabo	...	Pauline 'Paulie' Oster
Jessica Paré	...	Victoria 'Tori' Moller
Mischa Barton	...	Mary 'Mouse' Bedford
Jackie Burroughs	...	Fay Vaughn
Mimi Kuzyk	...	Eleanor Bannet
Graham Greene	...	Joe Menzies
Emily VanCamp	...	Allison Moller (as Emily Vancamp)
Amy Stewart	...	Cordelia
Caroline Dhavernas	...	Kara
Luke Kirby	...	Jake Hollander
Alan Fawcett	...	Bruce Moller
Peter Oldring	...	Phil
Grace Lynn Kung	...	Lauren (as Grace Kung)
Stephen Mwinga	...	John
Lydia Zadel	...	Monica

Also Known As:

La rage au coeur (Canada: French title)
Rebelles (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content involving teens, and language.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Italy:T | Iceland:L | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:18 | Canada:18A | Germany:16 | Netherlands:AL | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Québec, Canada

Company:

Cité-Amérique

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ms. Vaughn writes the word love on the blackboard, the writing alternates between two differently written love words in the next scenes.

Quotes:

[Paulie enters the library in a fencing outfit carrying a sword, and stands on top of the table Tori is studying at]
Paulie: I shall make me a willow cabin at your gate and call upon my soul within the house; Write loyal cantons of contemned love and sing them loud even in the dead of night; Halloo your name to the reverberate hills and make the babbling gossip of the air cry out 'Victoria!'
Eleanor Bannet: Paulie... why don't you come down from there?
[touches her arm]
Paulie: [flinches away] Don't ever touch a raptor.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Indie Sex: Teens (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Sanctus

A moving story of first love

The movie "Lost and Delirious" was without a doubt one of the best depictions of young love to hit the screen yet. This movie is a must see for anyone who has ever been in love. The story of two girls in love and the social pressures that surround them in an all girl boarding school. Most people would say, "Why do we want to know this story?" I say because it is heartfelt and a true telling of the emotions swirling around same sex relationships. As individuals we all long to belong somewhere, to know that someone loves us despite the horrors around us everyday. To Paulie, this is who Tory is to her. She knows that as long as she feels Tory's love for her, life is worth living. Their love is secret of course because so many don't understand what it means to "just love." Into the secrecy of their relationship comes Mary B. or Mouse, who befriends them both and cares for them each as a friend despite knowing that they are a little more than "friendly." Adding to the confusion of emotions Tory's little sister Alley bursts in one morning to find her sister in a precarious position...in bed with Paulie. From here out the relationship between the two girls is strained.

Tory feels the pressure of her parents's dreams and expectations for her and is unable to acknowledge her love for Paulie fearing that her family will no longer love her and she will be forced to be seen as "not normal" by all her classmates. So in essence Tory chooses to shut out Paulie to avoid speculation and in doing so unwittingly causes Paulie to slowly descend into madness. Paulie of course takes the situation to heart, after all they are in love and that should be enough to overcome anything. But instead she finds herself alone...well except for Mary B. her loyal friend.

I love how the story is so real especially in the connections of the schoolgirls. Let's face it we all went to high school, private or not and it's brutal. Mary B. is loyal. She sticks with Paulie even though the other girls begin to talk about her as if she is "one of them." The classic scene is at the mail boxes, she responds with "Paulie is my friend, so I guess it doesn't matter what everyone else says!" However, she does witness Paulie falling apart and is torn with how to help. You see how hard it is for Tory to step away from Paulie, but the real heart breaker is in how Paulie deals with the rejection of her first real love. She feels as if the world has ended and the sun will no longer shine if there is no more Tory. She tries to win her back, but only causes embarrassment to Tory through her wooing.

If you have ever loved someone and for whatever reason others saw that love as wrong, your heart will break when you see this movie and you will weep. Sadly, Paulie is unable to cope with the rejection of Tory, and Tory is not able to step beyond her own insecurities and prejudices of others to comfort Paulie. So Paulie gives into the madness...the overwhelming grief she feels from the loss leads to her undoing. In the end it is Tory who is left to deal with the love they once shared and all that could have been. Mary B. learns through Paulies' folly how to pull herself out of the madness that can swallow us all if we aren't careful. This movie is moving, your heart will not escape the pain, but perhaps it will teach you too how to pull out of the madness around us all and in turn show us how to love one another. For love just is.