Prozac Nation

I remember hearing about this movie while it was in production, back in 2000, and learning the next year that it would not be released...not even on DVD. Who knows why these things happen? Typically there are legal issues, as I believe was mainly the case here, but more often, the movie is hideous, and the studio cuts their losses before distribution, to avoid the embarrassment and expense of failure. Once this movie was eventually released, a couple years ago, I don’t think it was quite a failure, but it didn’t make much of a splash, either. And that’s too bad, because it’s quite solid drama, and it deserves attention.

Reportedly, Elizabeth Wurtzel hates the movie. She thinks it’s horrible. I can’t say I blame her; it’s her book, her life, her psyche being opened up and put on display...but it couldn’t possibly come across the same way as her own personal truth, which I assume is in the book. Is the movie going to be accurate in regards to her feelings, her emotional pendulum, her turmoils and triumphs? Of course not. It wouldn’t play. If she stays tied to what she feels, she’s going to hate the movie. It’s a different animal, and will do what it must to grow strong and survive. This is why I’ll probably never read the book...because the movie may not be the same as what she went through, but it reveals the truth of her experience. And that’s what I’m really interested in.

I was thoroughly amazed by Christina Ricci's performance in Black Snake Moan last year...not because I didn’t know she was that good an actress; I did. She was simply that amazing to watch. So it’s fascinating to see her with the same intensity here as Lizzie, the same immersion in her character, considering this movie was filmed more than five years earlier, when she was barely twenty years old. Every moment of pain, her constant emotional anguish, the occasional bout of elation or clarity...it comes pouring out of her, except when it needs to drip, slowly. I can always feel what the character is going through.

Now that might have something to do with my own experience, depression, insomnia, mania, awareness, self-analysis...everything the character finds herself doing throughout the story, except the drug use. Maybe that’s why I like the movie. I always understand what she’s dealing with, why she doesn’t want to deal with it, and why she does want to. People who don’t understand depression, especially the idea that those afflicted often can’t do anything about it, will get a very clear picture after seeing this film. I think that’s what Elizabeth Wurtzel may be missing in regards to the movie: it isn’t about being right, or wholly true; it’s about making the impression come off the screen. It’s about getting a viewer to understand the feeling from the inside. I believe the movie succeeds in this, and I think more people should see it.

I also think more people should consider what an anti-depressant is really for, and what it does, before opting to take one every day for years and years. The movie isn’t even about Prozac, or pharmaceuticals of any kind; it’s about a girl with emotional problems and the family and friends in her life. The movie doesn’t make any statements or take any positions on any issues. It’s a character study, and a good one. Christina Ricci is definitely the center of attention here, but takes nothing away from the performances of all the other actors, who are equally admirable. I always enjoy drama when it comes from somewhere real, which is all too rare, but it’s that much better when I find something beautiful and true. I’ve found that here, and I’m pleased to share it.