Rebelles

I might say that, deep inside, "Lost and Delirious" is a chick-flick, but to those girls (and boys, let's say, because girls are not the only who like chick-flicks) who can look further and deeply. It's a smart, intense and beautiful alternative to "Down To You" or "She's All That". And It's also a gay-themed movie that can be enjoyable to anyone.

The movie focus in Piper Perabo's character, Paulie, which has a homosexual relationship with her best friend, Tory, played by Jessica Paré. Once Tory has no courage to admit to her parents she's gay, and decides to end up the relationship, Paulie freaks out. Everything is seen by the eyes of Mary (Mischa Barton).

Piper Perabo gives the performance of her career. And, if we consider she was in vapid movies like "Slap Her, She's French" and "Coyote Ugly", you'll be very surprised (or even shocked) with the way she make her Paulie a character so intense. Barton and Paré may stand behind, but are also great. It's a movie so well-crafted and beautiful that it's kind of funny the way director Lea Pool manages to make a movie that grows every time in beauty and intensity without losing the focus in real life, real feelings. It's a brilliant movie, a must-see.

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.

I thought 'Lost and Delirious' would be about some spoilt teenage girls hooking up on sex, drugs and rock and roll. But, to my surprise, it was something else. It's about three school roommates. Two of them engage in a 'forbidden' relationship while the other confronts her own issues and narrates the story. 'Lost and Delirious' isn't an easy film to watch. I don't want to hand out any spoiler but I'll say that it truly sticks to the title and parts of it are disturbing. I did not like how the film was treated because had it not been for the music and Piper Perabo's acting, it would have felt like a TV movie. At times, the pace is painfully slow and some scenes seem pointless. Piper Perabo steals the show with her terrific portrayal of the emotionally tortured and abandoned Paulie. Mischa Barton looks uncomfortable (and she needs to eat) but does okay in a few scenes. The soundtrack is quite unusual. There is something captivating about it. I also liked the sequences with Paulie and the raptor that symbolized liberty. It is not an easy film to watch but tells an interesting story of rejected love.

Sometimes I forget what kind of person I am because I interact with so many dull, selfish, and fearful people. This movie is about following your beliefs and living what you feel. It is about recognizing what you "live for". going after it with all that you are, and righteously being destroyed if you do not succeed. I became more and more absorbed in the film as it progressed and was deeply moved by its climax. I think the acting was superb and the dialog terrific. I also was very affected by the accompanying music. The situational and dialectical drama strongly complimented each other and I felt the angst, disbelief, and compassion rise within.

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)