Review of Lost and Delirious (2001) by Jason R — 09 May 2009

Lost and Delirious tells a fairly familiar tale. The story is seen from the perspective of Mouse Bradford, played by Mischa Barton. She's a new student at the Perkins Girls College, and begins to befriend her roommates Paulie and Tory. Each girl is dealing with a family issue, lacing into the focal issue dealing with the forbidden love between Paulie and Tory. When Tory begins to move away from Paulie based on her parents' and society's expectations, Paulie begins to suffer from a nervous breakdown, spiraling most of the film's second half into an angst-ridden, gender identity crisis interwoven with Shakespearean dialogue and an over-the-top performance by Piper Perabo.

For all its faults, the film proves to be an interesting character study on three women dealing with significant issues. The performance by Perabo is impressive, as is the carefully established dramatic tone. The symbolism and motifs presented are perhaps a little too openly laid out, and the predictable path the story begins to mold seemingly drew less interest from the characters. However, this is a solid drama with a powerhouse performance. If your interest in this particular type of genre is less than interested, see it for the performances from Perabo, Burroughs, and Pare.

B-.