Lost and Delirious
Director: Léa Pool
Writer: Judith Thompson
Based on: Susan Swan‘s novel The Wives of Bath
Cast: Piper Perabo, Jessica Paré, Mischa Barton, Jackie Burroughs, Mimi Kuzyk, Graham Greene, Emily VanCamp, Amy Stewart, Caroline Dhavernas
Seen on: 7.9.2018

Plot:
14-year-old Mary (Mischa Barton) just arrived at a presitigous boarding school. She is shy and adjusting to her new surroundings isn’t easy. Fortunately she has two roommates, seniors Paulie (Piper Perabo) and Tori (Jessica Paré). The two take Mary under their wings. Mary soon realizes that Paulie and Tori aren’t just best friends, they are actually lovers. But when the knowledge spreads around school, all of their lives get knocked off-balance.

Lost and Delirious works hard but that doesn’t always translate to success, unfortunately. It does have some good moments, but overall it doesn’t really come together.

Lost and Delirious has a great cast and it tries very hard to build the characters of the three protagonists. That effort is absolutely appreciated and it does give the film a certain charm, but effort, unfortunately, isn’t enough and neither is the charm.

The film feels a little like somebody thought “Dead Poets Society, but make it lesbian” only that isn’t as polished as that film, or as competent. It also has way too many sad lesbians and the most clichéd, slightly romanticized suicide, so that doesn’t help. Neither does the racist trope of a gardener (Graham Greene) – the only PoC in the entire film who gets nothing to do but dispense wisdom to the privileged white girls at the school.

That being said, I did enjoy the film in the beginning and was emotionally very involved before things got out of hand and entirely too dramatic for its own good. Perabo and Paré make for a good couple, Their chemistry felt very real.

But ultimately, I would have liked to like the film better than I did. I have definitely seen worse, but it isn’t really worth watching.

Summarizing: Meh.