White Oleander (2002)

Absolutely superb drama directed by Peter Kosminsky.

Michelle Pfeiffer is Ingrid Magnussen, who is sent to prison for murdering an unfaithful boyfriend. Her daughter Astrid (Alison Lohman) is sent to a series of foster homes, which lead to problems of their own, but Ingrid’s controlling ways continue to determine events. 

Adapted from Janet Fitch's 1999 novel, it’s a sad and often harrowing story about the damage adults do to children. Pfeiffer and Lohman are fantastic. In other roles, Robin Wright and Renée Zellweger are also excellent.

One odd casting decision is having Billy Connolly play the murdered boyfriend. He’s hardly in the film at all but he does stand out as an extremely unusual and somewhat jarring choice for that role.

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