Lost And Delirious [2003] [DVD]

The story of the film is supposed to be seen through the eyes of young Mary "Mouse" Bedford (Mischa Barton), who arrives at her all-girls' boarding school to discover her new roommates are, er, more than just very good friends. Although Mouse gives voiceovers and appears to be supposed to be our guide to what happens, the film strays from the true narrative idea by including many scenes in which the Mouse character is not present. That's because the true focus of this film is Pauline "Paulie" Oster, played by Piper Perabo, who gives the performance of her career to date. Although the script is uneven (and the screenwriter, perhaps recognising her shortcomings, begins to quote Shakespeare at length towards the end of the film), and gives Perabo some pretty bad lines, and though her character's behaviour tips right over into the downright melodramatic, Perabo is pretty impressive in this. Perhaps directed with a little more subtlety, it would have been a truly awesome performance; as it is, she is very, very good - and mesmerising any time she is on screen. By the end, I bet not one viewer really cares what happens to Mouse, the supposed narrator and central character, who happens to get the last word - all eyes will be on Paulie. It's hard to believe Perabo is the same actress who was in "Coyote Ugly" and "Rocky and Bulwinkle", and not just because with a different hair colour and style of dressing, as well as of carrying herself, she is somehow almost completely physically unrecognisable - here, Piper Perabo gets to show that she has genuine acting talent, as well as the bravery to do a role like this. Who'd have thought it?

The other actors turn in some good performances, with the adult actors Mimi Kuzyk, Graham Greene and Jackie Burroughs all convincing in their small roles. Burroughs in particular has some great scenes with Perabo. Greene adds a touch of comic relief to what begins to become a dark tale.

It's probably the story's darkness that is its main problem - it is just a little bit too dark, and the plot is really pretty over-the-top by the end. It would have been a more interesting film had it taken a route in which the happenings were a little more believable and true-to-life, as it could have been a film which really said something about the way life is. But, "Lost and Delirious" chooses a different dramatic path, and whilst affecting, it's never entirely convincing.

Nevertheless, despite this film's flaws, I feel I must give it four stars, one reason being Perabo's surprisingly effective performance. "Lost and Delirious" must also be commended for the highly fitting and evocative music, as well as the truly beautiful cinematography - both are first-rate and above the quality of many "Hollywood" offerings. It's a shame that the script is sometimes weak and that the storyline and script don't entirely ring true; despite these shortcomings, "Lost and Delirious" remains a haunting and beautiful film.

The DVD doesn't have any extras, only the film trailer. It's a shame as the Canadian version apparently has a few extras and it's a pity they couldn't be added here.

The drama centres around Torie and Paulie, girlfriends and roommates and so deeply in love. Or so we think...When Torie and Paulie are caught in bed together by Torie's younger sister, it all begins to go haywire. Torie cuts herself off entirely from Paulie in an effort to convince not only her friends, but herself, that she's not gay. New roomie Mouse is left in the middle, although she doesn't actually do much, just stands and watched Paulie self-destruct.

Piper Perabo (Paulie) brings in a sterling performance, proving she has more talent than Coyote Ugly permitted her to show. Not many reviewers seem to compliment Jessica Pare in her role as Tori. True, Perabo has much more interest, dramatic moments and so on, but Pare has her time to shine as well. Lines which should sound corny ("I'm so lost without you, pete"), she can sincerely carry off, and that should not go without recognition.

It would be a mistake to see this film as no more than a "lesbian flick". Of course there's sex involved, lesbians do it too, you know. It's not porn and it's not reliant on the sex to maintain interest. This is a film truly worthy of commendation. If there was a criticism I had to make, it would be the fact that at times Paulie sounds over-desperate, and the ending is a little abrupt. That said, it is based on The Wife of Bath and has to follow some literary guidelines.

I would quite happily recommend this film to anyone and everyone I know. It's such a shame that it has been overlooked because it went straight to video. That doesn't make it unworthy of watching, I can assure you!