Rebelles

At age 25, Piper Perabo plays the most challenging of all her roles to date. Although the film may fall short in many areas from its direction, supporting acting, its ending, and overall moral, Piper is pure poetry in this Coming of Age, dramatic love story of Youth. Yes, the film is very strong in some areas that makes the overall production fall short. Even though Piper is wonderful, she could not save the film. If you are gay, you will respect this film. Will you enjoy it, is up to the individual. It is a strong story, and far from a comedy about girls in an all girl school. Many of its late night viewers who watch this on their cable station in the middle of the night will get the wrong idea what kind of film this is by its log line. It is far from your b-movie status, where everybody gets naked and has a good time. This movie aims high to be powerful, and sadly falls short. Mischa Barton, the little dead girl under the bed in the Sixth Sense is also in this film. She too is amazing at the age of 16. Keep your eyes on this one, she just may be the next big thing to hit the big screen.

What could be more pure and genuine than the serendipity of an honest page from a young girl's diary, spotted with the teardrops she wept as she wrote? The diary belongs to 14 year old Mary Bedford (Mary Brave) as she writes about the heart breaking emotional trauma she suffers during her first year at boarding school. Lost And Delirious is a movie about the purest form of committed love, the kind that transcends all boundaries and causes those committed to devote every fiber of their being, heart and soul, to their loved one. There is no turning back or "getting over" this kind of love; once broken the heart can never mend. Most people will never experience this kind of pure love and, even if the opportunity were there, would never take such a chance with their emotions. If you have ever loved another person so intensely that you felt your life would be over if the relationship ended, you will identify with the character, Paulie Oster, and this movie may break your heart.

L&D is not a lesbian movie about girls being naughty and experimenting at boarding school. If you're not the sensitive type and expect to be inflamed with lust this movie would be wasted on you. Get yourself a pound of fried pork skins, a six-pack of $1.49 beer on sale at the local convenience store, and rent Bimbos From Planet Lesbos instead.

This movie has almost nothing in common with its insiration "The Wives of Bath". The movie does have everything to do with single minded love that turns to obsession. Piper Perabo as Paulie plays the role of her career, far surpassing anything else she has appeared in to date (although in Coyote Ugly she is beguiling!)

Jessiaca Pare plays the part of Tory well, and in some scenes steals the show with beautifully played emotions and torn loyalties. I have yet to see Jessica reach the heights of emotion she portrayed in this movie.

The movie ends very weakly, and in my view drawing the curtain a few minutes earlier would have made L&D almost perfect. Well done Lea Pool on one of the movies that made same sex love acceptable and better understood. Shame that it did not have a wider audience at the time of its release.

Another great movie by Léa Pool (La Demoiselle sauvage, Emporte-moi).

This is not a lesbian-film, it's a film about love, about the happiness and the pain that goes with it. It's a true and poignant movie, but also very evocative and profound. The acting is excellent by the three lead characters: Piper Perabo, Jessica Paré and Mischa Barton. They're really in it. Because you see, almost everybody, sometimes in their life, get through a period like these girls are going. Who hasn't been completely shattered by a relationship that's going nowhere or simply doesn't lift up? Funny parts too: especially those with the gardener offering some words of advice to Mouse. Léa Pool makes also good use of the slow-motion to describe the pain, the emotion, the passion. In all, a movie that should be seen.

Seen at the Devonshire Odeon Cinema, in Windsor (Ontario), on August 21st, 2001.

85/100 (***½)

There are few words to describe a movie such as "Lost and Delirious." The most conspicuous being "beautiful." No matter what your views may be on homosexuality, there isn't a person out there who can truly say that they did not feel the tremendous pain that Paulie felt when Tori walked out of her life. Every camera angle, tape speed, background, audio effects...everything...in this movie is absolutely perfect. I've never seen anything like it. The only other picture I can remember of this same artistic caliber would be John Duigan's 1998 film "Lawn Dogs." However, even it does not leave you with the emotional sting that "Lost and Delirious" does. The bottom line is, do NOT rule out this film because of the basis of it's storyline. It is not all about the sexual relations & lesbian activity. It is very much a deep look into the human spirit.