A modest hit at the Sundance Film Festival, Lost & Delirious (2001) is a Canadian coming of age picture that features a handful of stars before they became famous. Directed by Léa Pool and written by Judith Thompson, Lost & Delirious attempts to broaden the horizons of inclusivity with depictions of mental health issues and queer relationships whilst holding steadfast to the conventions of its genre.
Lost & Delirious is narrated by the character of Mary B. (Mischa Barton) who serves as a kind of guide to boarding school life for the audience. Mary, the “new kid”, quickly forms a bond with her roommates Paulie (Piper Perabo) and Victoria (Jessica Paré) who are carrying on a secret love affair. Though she functions as an audience proxy Mary is never the vessel for the filmmakers’ reflections on events. Mary’s voiceover amounts to little more than reiterating an already fairly obvious subtext.
One might assume the elder and wiser gardener Menzies (Graham Greene) would serve as a kind of moral barometer for both Mary and the film at large but that is not the case. Instead Menzies is kind of a goof who imparts corny “dad jokes” as opposed to any hard won wisdom. In a subversive move the filmmakers locate a de facto mentor figure and general commentator in the form of headmaster Vaughn (Jackie Burroughs).
When Paulie and Victoria are caught in bed together and outed Victoria claims that Paulie assaulted her and begins to pursue a relationship with Jake (Luke Kirby). From there Paulie quickly deteriorates into a “nervous breakdown” which is where headmaster Fay Vaughn comes in. Though Mary narrates the film it is never about her, it’s about Paulie. Vaughn is depicted as an older and more mature version of Paulie; a staunch ally and sympathetic adult. Whenever Paulie experiences an anxious episode the filmmakers will almost always cut to Vaughn for some perspective.
Lost & Delirious is Paulie’s story. Her misguided and Romantic attempts at getting the closeted Victoria back as well as the emotional fallout when those attempts fail form the dramatic meat of the film. Paulie spikes the punch, she curses, quotes Shakespeare, fences, and nurses an eagle back to health; she’s the ultimate boarding school badass. Perabo’s performance is brimming with volatile emotional energy. When Perabo speaks or screams its like a thunderclap. Perabo carries with her the heart of the film and is the reason that Lost & Delirious is as affecting as it is.
There are countless melodramas about girls at boarding schools and Lost & Delirious really hits all of the beats of those earlier films. Lost & Delirious simply updates those sensibilities for its moment; reflecting a new generation’s experiences. It’s a corny film but it is never bad or insincere. There may be an over abundance of blurred slow-motion shots but that is merely a byproduct of its time. What is essential to the success of the film is the deep affection the filmmakers obviously have for Paulie and by extension Perabo’s performance.
To say that Lost & Delirious is cutting-edge or groundbreaking would be something of an overstatement. The film basically combines Dead Poets Society (1989) with The Trouble With Angels (1966) and then updates the dramatic beats for 2001. Setting aside the cinematographic lineage of Lost & Delirious to just focus on its sociological content and it becomes clear that the real value of the film is in its representation of what were typically marginalized character types.
