White Oleander (2002)

A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion.

Director:

Peter Kosminsky

Writers:

Janet Fitch (novel), Mary Agnes Donoghue (screenplay)

Stars:

Alison Lohman, Robin Wright, Michelle Pfeiffer

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Amy Aquino	...	Miss Martinez
John Billingsley	...	Paramedic
Elisa Bocanegra	...	Girl in Fight
Darlene Bohorquez	...	Prisoner
Solomon Burke Jr.	...	Guard
Scott Allan Campbell	...	Bill Greenway
Sam Catlin	...	Teacher
Debra Christofferson	...	Marlena
Billy Connolly	...	Barry Kolker
Marc Donato	...	Davey Thomas
Svetlana Efremova	...	Rena Gruschenka
Patrick Fugit	...	Paul Trout
Vernon Haas	...	Guard
Sean Happy	...	Dirt Bike Boyfriend
Cole Hauser	...	Ray

Storyline

Astrid Magnussen is a 15 year old girl, living in California. Her mother, Ingrid, is a beautiful, free-spirited poet. Their life, though unusual, is satisfying until one day, a man named Barry Kolker (that her mother refers to at first as "The goat man") comes into their lives, and Ingrid falls madly in love with him, only to have her heart broken, and her life ruined. For revenge, Ingrid murders Barry with the deadly poison of her favourite flower: The White Oleander. She is sent to prison for life, and Astrid has to go through foster home after foster home. Throughout nearly a decade she experiences forbidden love, religion, near-death experiences, drugs, starvation, and how it feels to be loved. But throughout these years, she keeps in touch with her mother via letters to prison. And while Ingrid's gift is to give Astrid the power to survive, Astrid's gift is to teach her Mother about love.

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Plot Keywords:

love | foster home | prison | oleander | flower | 

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Taglines:

Where does a mother end and a daughter begin?

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements concerning dysfunctional relationships, drug content, language, sexuality and violence

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

11 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Laurier blanc

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$195,219 (Australia) (13 June 2003)

Gross:

$436,812 (Australia) (20 June 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Gaylord Films, John Wells Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many people in the film industry felt sure that Michelle Pfeiffer would receive an Oscar nomination for her turn as the murderous mother, but the film's failure at the box-office coupled with the aggressive marketing campaign for Chicago actresses Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the same category, Pfeiffer failed to get a nomination.

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Goofs

When Astrid, Starr, and Carolee are driving to go get clothes, Starr refers to the reverend of their church as "Reverend Thomas." However, in every other scene before and after this, the reverend is referred to as "Reverend Daniels." Perhaps his name is Thomas Daniels.

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Quotes

Ingrid: Love humiliates you. Hatred cradles you.

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Connections

Features Dexter's Laboratory (1996)

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Soundtracks

"S.S.T."
Written by Thomas Barnett, Eric Kane, Garth Petrie, Matt C. Sherwood and Matt Smith
Performed by Strike Anywhere
Courtesy of Jade Tree
By Arrangement with Crusty Old Timer, L.L.C.

User Reviews

Superb film version of a fine novel

Strong performances by Lohman, Penn, Zellweger and especially Michelle Pfeiffer in a faithful adaptation of Janet Fitch's novel. Not hard to see why this one didn't attract more attention in theaters, since it lacks the ingredients that seem to characterize hit films nowadays -- such as action, violence, sex and stunning special effects. It's just a very moving story, well-crafted and well-acted. I'd recommend it to anyone.