Theater Release:
October 11, 2002
DVD Release:
March 11, 2003
Genre:
Drama
MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for mature thematic elements concerning dysfunctional relationships, drug content, language, sexuality and violence.
Main Cast:
Alison Lohman, Robin Wright Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ren
Director:
Peter Kosminsky
Producer:
John Wells, Hunt Lowry
Screenwriter:
Mary Agnes Donoghue
Studio:
Warner Bros.
|
|
| |
 Based on the novel by Janet Fitch, White Oleander tells the story of Astrid (Alison Lohman), a girl whose life is spent in and out of Los Angeles foster homes, going through new experiences, both good and bad, with each home and each family. Her journey through foster homes becomes a redeeming journey of self-discovery. Each hardship brings her closer to independence.
When Astrid’s dangerously seductive and stubborn mother Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) kills her boyfriend after he abandoned her, Astrid, then fifteen, has to see her mother get arrested and imprisioned. Astrid is then pushed through a series of foster homes, forming unusual relationships with each family along the way. Her foster mothers include the born again fanatic Starr (Robin Wright Penn) and the lonely washed-up actress Claire Richards (Renée Zellweger).
Astrid struggles to gain the skills she needs to survive the unyielding and often harsh world she is forced into. She struggles to find her own identity and break away from the powerful influence of her mother, each new environment playing a vital role in her lifestyle and identity choices.
Astrid’s three years in foster homes mark her development from child to adult, with the value of independence and courage, rage and forgiveness, love and survival all being imprinted on her mind and heart.
| | |
