"Lost and Delirious" is one of those movies that you may catch while flipping through channels late at night and end up loving. That is exactly what happened to me when I first saw this film. On the cover, I thought this would be another one of those feminist or lesbian type of movies but it isn't. It's actually a beautiful, but tragic love story. "Lost and Delirious" stars Piper Perabo, Jessica Pare, and Mischa Barton as three teenage girls at an all-girl prep school. Barton is Mary Bradford, a new girl to the school. She doesn't have much trouble fitting in, as she makes quick friends with her two roommates Paulie Oster (Perabo) and Tori Miller (Pare). One night, Mary, who can't sleep, walks over to her window and sees Paulie and Tori kissing. At first, she doesn't think much of it, but as she continues watching, she begins to see that Paulie and Tori may be more than just close friends.

This is truly a one of a kind film. I'm not real familiar with any of the three leading actresses past films except for Piper Perabo, who I saw in 1999's "Whiteboyz". She gives the best performance out of the three. I'm also not real familiar with director Lea Pool's past films either but I must say that her direction here is first rate.

"Lost and Delirious" is a beautiful film, no doubt. I've never seen a movie that has ever been more honest in carefully displaying its intentions, which is showing two people in love. Throughout the course of the film, we see Paulie and Tori's romance blossom, but keep in mind that they are not lesbians, they are simply two people in love that just so happen to be girls. Towards the middle of the film, we see their love for each other slowly begin to fade when they are both caught in bed by Tori's little sister after making love the night before. It is at this point, that Tori decides to call it quits to their relationship. Paulie, torn that the only person she ever loved, doesn't return the same feelings, soon begins to descend into jealousy, lust, and violence. This is where the movie really starts to get depressing and the ending shows how far a person will go just to show their love for someone.

"Lost and Delirious" is a very lovely film, in deed but is also very sad at the same time. This is definitely a film that's not for everyone, and I give it a ten out of ten.

The movie "Lost and Delirious" was without a doubt one of the best depictions of young love to hit the screen yet. This movie is a must see for anyone who has ever been in love. The story of two girls in love and the social pressures that surround them in an all girl boarding school. Most people would say, "Why do we want to know this story?" I say because it is heartfelt and a true telling of the emotions swirling around same sex relationships. As individuals we all long to belong somewhere, to know that someone loves us despite the horrors around us everyday. To Paulie, this is who Tory is to her. She knows that as long as she feels Tory's love for her, life is worth living. Their love is secret of course because so many don't understand what it means to "just love." Into the secrecy of their relationship comes Mary B. or Mouse, who befriends them both and cares for them each as a friend despite knowing that they are a little more than "friendly." Adding to the confusion of emotions Tory's little sister Alley bursts in one morning to find her sister in a precarious position...in bed with Paulie. From here out the relationship between the two girls is strained.

Tory feels the pressure of her parents's dreams and expectations for her and is unable to acknowledge her love for Paulie fearing that her family will no longer love her and she will be forced to be seen as "not normal" by all her classmates. So in essence Tory chooses to shut out Paulie to avoid speculation and in doing so unwittingly causes Paulie to slowly descend into madness. Paulie of course takes the situation to heart, after all they are in love and that should be enough to overcome anything. But instead she finds herself alone...well except for Mary B. her loyal friend.

I love how the story is so real especially in the connections of the schoolgirls. Let's face it we all went to high school, private or not and it's brutal. Mary B. is loyal. She sticks with Paulie even though the other girls begin to talk about her as if she is "one of them." The classic scene is at the mail boxes, she responds with "Paulie is my friend, so I guess it doesn't matter what everyone else says!" However, she does witness Paulie falling apart and is torn with how to help. You see how hard it is for Tory to step away from Paulie, but the real heart breaker is in how Paulie deals with the rejection of her first real love. She feels as if the world has ended and the sun will no longer shine if there is no more Tory. She tries to win her back, but only causes embarrassment to Tory through her wooing.

If you have ever loved someone and for whatever reason others saw that love as wrong, your heart will break when you see this movie and you will weep. Sadly, Paulie is unable to cope with the rejection of Tory, and Tory is not able to step beyond her own insecurities and prejudices of others to comfort Paulie. So Paulie gives into the madness...the overwhelming grief she feels from the loss leads to her undoing. In the end it is Tory who is left to deal with the love they once shared and all that could have been. Mary B. learns through Paulies' folly how to pull herself out of the madness that can swallow us all if we aren't careful. This movie is moving, your heart will not escape the pain, but perhaps it will teach you too how to pull out of the madness around us all and in turn show us how to love one another. For love just is.

It could be called THE THREE FACES OF ANGST.

Watching LOST AND DELIRIOUS zaps you into the utter miseries of adolescent anguish, and even those who haven't been to boarding school will relate.

Moreover, each lead teen exemplifies a different type of misery although all have identity issues. Take the narrator; Mouse is her dad's pet name for her. Mary Bedford, also known as Mary B., gets the label 'B for Brave' by her older, dashing dorm mate Paulie. But afraid to take on the Brave mantle, Mary calls tells the Indian landscaper she's 'In Transition,' a fitting name for a pubescent teenager. Mary represents the anguish of detachment, leaving home for the first time though only about fourteen. Her mother died of cancer three years earlier and stepmom is envious of the bond between Mouse and her father. Hence she arrives at school and awkward outsider. Not only does Mary exude the New Girl vibe, but she soon finds herself witness to an extremely passionate relationship between her roommates, the adopted Paulie (short for Pauline), and the religious Victoria. After awhile, Mary finds their mutual cooing comfortable, evidence of their confidence in her as a trusted friend. The girls also bond through imaginary letters written to their parents which purge their repressed feelings. For instance, Tory air-writes to her mother whom she both despises and idolizes.

Unlike Mary and Paulie, Tory has both an older brother in a nearby boy's academy and a younger sister here at Perkins. When the sister discovers Tory in bed naked with Paulie, Tory starts a campaign of disavowing her love. Yet this is no ordinary crush soon blown over. Tory, who initiated lesbian sex acts several times, continues to room with and unintentionally tease the despairing Pauline. Both girls are homophobic in both speech and attitude. They do not consider themselves gay at all, but sharing in a special unity. However, to squelch rumors of their homosexual behaviors, Tory starts dating Jake, her brother's friend, and bragging about it, blaming Paulie as the unclear, unrequited lover. Her misery stems from self-denial, and deep-seated fear of being gossiped about and labeled. Anyone who has come out of the political or sexual closet knows how labels stick. Above all, she fears being disowned by her family.

Paulie has no such fear because her birth mother wishes to remain unfound and her adopted mom has emptiness behind her smiling eyes. Even the teachers can see Paulie's torment. Her affection for Tory soars beyond all teenage crush. This is a pure passion which exceeds rationality. Reading Shakespeare and cavalier poetry turns Paulie into a knight of yore, and she challenges Jake to a duel for the love of her lady. Despite this and her other tomboy tendencies, she cannot accept the lesbian label, either, but she's willing to put up with whatever others say as long as she can continue the fleeting bliss known all-too-briefly. In Pauline we see the ultimate misery of desire denied. With the firm confidence of youth, Pauline cannot imagine ever loving so deeply, so freely again. A realism pervades the strong performances of LOST AND DELIRIOUS that echoes the depressing state of adolescent anguish. The clear delineation of separate but joined misery by the three young leads make this film not a downer, but a celebration of truth--and film-making at its most intimate and revelatory.

I might say that, deep inside, "Lost and Delirious" is a chick-flick, but to those girls (and boys, let's say, because girls are not the only who like chick-flicks) who can look further and deeply. It's a smart, intense and beautiful alternative to "Down To You" or "She's All That". And It's also a gay-themed movie that can be enjoyable to anyone.

The movie focus in Piper Perabo's character, Paulie, which has a homosexual relationship with her best friend, Tory, played by Jessica Paré. Once Tory has no courage to admit to her parents she's gay, and decides to end up the relationship, Paulie freaks out. Everything is seen by the eyes of Mary (Mischa Barton).

Piper Perabo gives the performance of her career. And, if we consider she was in vapid movies like "Slap Her, She's French" and "Coyote Ugly", you'll be very surprised (or even shocked) with the way she make her Paulie a character so intense. Barton and Paré may stand behind, but are also great. It's a movie so well-crafted and beautiful that it's kind of funny the way director Lea Pool manages to make a movie that grows every time in beauty and intensity without losing the focus in real life, real feelings. It's a brilliant movie, a must-see.

I only decided to see this film simply because I liked Piper Perabo in 'Coyote Ugly', an enjoyable but 'lightweight' film. I watched 'Lost and Delirious' for the first time last evening and I was totally blown away by Piper's performance which surprised me, taking into account the fact that the film didn't exactly get rave reviews. It was a far deeper film than I expected it to be and I will need to watch it several times to appreciate its full impact. (I never manage to fully appreciate a film first time round!)The clever parallels drawn between Paulie's character and the bird of prey's plight are cleverly handled, although I thought it was made a little too obvious when she began to refer to herself as 'the raptor'. I felt this was unnecessary; the viewer should have been left to make that link for him or herself. The increasing tension which draws the viewer inexorably towards the climax of the film is almost unbearable. I felt myself starting to dread the end of the film, fearing its almost inevitable end. IMHO this is a masterful piece of movie-making. Miss it and miss out!

Sometimes I forget what kind of person I am because I interact with so many dull, selfish, and fearful people. This movie is about following your beliefs and living what you feel. It is about recognizing what you "live for". going after it with all that you are, and righteously being destroyed if you do not succeed. I became more and more absorbed in the film as it progressed and was deeply moved by its climax. I think the acting was superb and the dialog terrific. I also was very affected by the accompanying music. The situational and dialectical drama strongly complimented each other and I felt the angst, disbelief, and compassion rise within.

This film puts a unique slant on an old subject matter. The underlying tones and themes are impressive and emotive. Instantly, you are sucked into the lives of the 3 main cast members, bonding with each of them quickly. They are all individual, yet extremely similar at the same time. The lesson they have to teach you is one that shoots straight into you, and you just cannot look away or deny it. Everything the movie has to offer is exceptional, the writing, the directing and most certainly the acting. Piper Perabo especially. She holds you in the palm of her hand, taking you through highs, lows, love and pain. Don't get this film confused with some 'lesbian chick flick'. The characters and situations are real, potent and memorable.

Piper Perabo is absolutely moving in this film, which centers around Paulie (Perabo) and Tori's brief love tale, as told through the eyes of Mouse (Mischa Barton), a neglected young lady who is placed in boarding school by her father at the suggestion of her step mother. However, like many lesbian movies made before the Dykefication of (mainly Californian) American society, this is one that has no happy ending, despite the mainly Canadian cast.

Mouse obviously feels estranged from her family since the passing of her mother, and finds quick acceptance and camaraderie in her roommates, Paulie and Torie. Paulie is adopted and feels like she has no real family and is obviously devoid of any spiritual connections with many people in her life, save for Tori. Tori, on the other hand, is very sheltered by her conservative parents, but like Paulie, she also feels like her family isn't entirely who she is.

We then discover that Paulie and Tori are lovers and often make love while Mouse is (supposedly) asleep, thereby lacking the decency to slip a Nyquil into Mouse's bedtime milk so she can peacefully sleep through it all. However, one morning Paulie forgets to crawl back to her bed (!!!) and the pair are caught by Tori's little sister and her posse.

Tori, thinking of how her parents and family might abandon and disown her, is quick to denounce what her sister saw and chalks it all up to Paulie's emotional imbalance. This has got to be the most infuriating and gut-wrenching scene of the movie when the perpetually closeted girl seals herself into her gilded wardrobe with a perky and half-convincing "I'm boy crazy!" This drove me insane because it almost seemed as though lil sis was about to say, "If you are, I'll eventually think about starting on re-accepting you as my family out of love." Meanwhile, her (bratty) little sister not only spreads the rumor around the school that Paulie is lesbian, but that she is after her very straight sister. Tori even begins a relationship with a boy from a nearby boarding school to assert her heterosexuality. This is because we all know the sure cure for homosexuality is a big obnoxious frat boy penis.

Mouse watches all this and remains friends with Paulie, despite the rumors people are spreading. Although she tries to help her friend, even Mouse can't stop Paulie's near psychotic downward spiral into torturous emotional HELL. My heart just went out to Perabo's acting as I had to endure ever more unbearable uncomfortable scenes of Paulie absolutely losing it in class, at the dining commons, at the father-daughter dance, and right before the climax. Going back to the obnoxious frat boy stereotype, I was kind of disappointed that Paulie didn't clock the moron's chin after he proclaims that he played Laertes in Hamlet. His face was so schmuck-y I really wished Paulie would hit him in principle.

Anywho, the ending is for your viewing pleasure/disgust. There are also some juxtapositions with the hawk and Paulie but quite honestly, that parallel was lost on me... I was "Lost" for the most part because I couldn't understand why Paulie, someone who held herself together despite her fragility, would completely lose it for a closeted girl... and "Delirious" because despite the former statement, Perabo really did do a good job with the insane material she was given.

However, this is why I couldn't give the movie a better grade... it made me too uncomfortable. I felt absolutely embarrassed for Paulie and just hoped HOPED she could just get over herself and Tori. So many scenes are just downright uncomfortable to watch, and I really believe that it's because Perabo got the pain of Paulie down perfectly. While I don't want to dismiss this movie because of the "lesbian movie tragedy" stereotype, I wanted to put it out there in case you're expecting a heart-warming "Saving Face"-ish love comedy.

Lost and Delirious is an awkward, but strikingly earnest film. The story deals with a love affair between two girls at an exclusive prep school as witnessed by their roommate. Mischa Barton plays Mary, the new girl at school who quickly realizes that the two girls she shares a room with are a good deal more than just friends. Paulie (Perabo) is an outspoken girl with a troubled past, and Tori is a privileged girl from a more traditional family.

The first time Mary catches Paulie and Tori kissing on a rooftop in the middle of the night, she assumes they are only practicing for future encounters with boys. Soon enough, the two are sharing a bed in the nude, and the sounds they are making through the night leave little doubt as to what is going on. Mary accepts their relationship, and the three seem on their way to being good friends. Things take a turn for the worst when Tori's younger sister walks in the room one morning and catches Tori in the nude with Paulie. It's absolutely astonishing to see how fast Tori pushes Paulie away from that moment on. Tori explains that her parents would basically disown her if they found out. She spreads the word around campus that Paulie is actually a sexual predator who crawls in bed with her from time to time.

Tori ends up being a rather unlikeable character as the film progresses. She immediately hooks up with a boy from a nearby school, and openly flaunts the fact that Paulie means nothing to her. We know this isn't true from the start, however. Notice the agony on her face after she walks away from explaining to her little sister how there's nothing between herself and Paulie. She even goes as far as telling Paulie that she'll never love anyone else as much. All this after dumping and ridiculing her! Is this supposed to make Paulie feel better about being dumped? Anyway, enough about Tori...

Piper Perabo steals the show as Paulie. Her character would best be described as dangerously romantic and obsessive. She loves Tori more than could easily be explained here. Her constant public displays of devotion leave nothing to the imagination about how she feels. At one point, she even challenges Tori's new boyfriend to a duel in the nearby woods. There is nothing anyone can do to console Paulie or curb her obsession. At one point, even Mary is taken under her spell until loving memories of her late mother seem to bring her back to reality. Paulie has nothing like that to fall back on. Once she sees that she will never be with Tori, it can only end tragically for her. Piper Perabo needs to be in better films like this one. No more Cheaper by the Dozens or Coyote Uglys, please! This is not your typical film about teen love to say the least. Although this film has a few flaws, you will not soon forget it after seeing it. To see such devotion for one person from another is rare, even in movies. There are sex scenes, and they are handled honestly and tastefully. The film will no doubt remind all of its viewers about their most painful crushes, regardless of whom they may have been for. There are a few minor side plots that may not seem to fit with the central theme of this film, but overall you will likely find it a rewarding experience. And you have been warned: this film will probably depress you.

8 of 10 stars.

The Hound

There are few words to describe a movie such as "Lost and Delirious." The most conspicuous being "beautiful." No matter what your views may be on homosexuality, there isn't a person out there who can truly say that they did not feel the tremendous pain that Paulie felt when Tori walked out of her life. Every camera angle, tape speed, background, audio effects...everything...in this movie is absolutely perfect. I've never seen anything like it. The only other picture I can remember of this same artistic caliber would be John Duigan's 1998 film "Lawn Dogs." However, even it does not leave you with the emotional sting that "Lost and Delirious" does. The bottom line is, do NOT rule out this film because of the basis of it's storyline. It is not all about the sexual relations & lesbian activity. It is very much a deep look into the human spirit.

Lost and Delirious is a very beautiful story of 2 girls in love. However, the end is so sad and depressing. Piper Perabo, who plays Paulie, is amazing. She successfully portraits a teen suffering the pain from losing her true love and feeling abandoned by everyone else in the whole world. Although I disagree with how she handled the situation at the end, she is absolutely stunning, a very talented actress. Paulie is very passionate, crazy in love with Tori (her schoolmate and roommate), and not afraid of showing it in public whereas Tori is the exactly opposite. When their relationship is discovered, Tori runs away from her true love into another guy's arm. Tori is afraid of her parents' reactions. She then purposely shows off her new relationship in front of Paulie so she won't be taken as a lesbian by her friends. I can't help wonder if Tori does truly love Paulie, how could she have the heart to torment/ hurt Paulie like this?! If Tori really wants to break off with Paulie, she should have let Paulie down gently. No wonder Paulie goes nuts at the end and takes an extreme measure to herself. After all, Paulie is willing to go all the way for love but I am not sure if Tori deserves it.

Overall, the acting is great. Pearbo gave a superior performance to deep emotion that Paulie has. You can feel the joy and pain that Paulie goes thru. She really touches your heart. It is a very emotional and intense movie worth of seeing it.

This movie has almost nothing in common with its insiration "The Wives of Bath". The movie does have everything to do with single minded love that turns to obsession. Piper Perabo as Paulie plays the role of her career, far surpassing anything else she has appeared in to date (although in Coyote Ugly she is beguiling!)

Jessiaca Pare plays the part of Tory well, and in some scenes steals the show with beautifully played emotions and torn loyalties. I have yet to see Jessica reach the heights of emotion she portrayed in this movie.

The movie ends very weakly, and in my view drawing the curtain a few minutes earlier would have made L&D almost perfect. Well done Lea Pool on one of the movies that made same sex love acceptable and better understood. Shame that it did not have a wider audience at the time of its release.

Another great movie by Léa Pool (La Demoiselle sauvage, Emporte-moi).

This is not a lesbian-film, it's a film about love, about the happiness and the pain that goes with it. It's a true and poignant movie, but also very evocative and profound. The acting is excellent by the three lead characters: Piper Perabo, Jessica Paré and Mischa Barton. They're really in it. Because you see, almost everybody, sometimes in their life, get through a period like these girls are going. Who hasn't been completely shattered by a relationship that's going nowhere or simply doesn't lift up? Funny parts too: especially those with the gardener offering some words of advice to Mouse. Léa Pool makes also good use of the slow-motion to describe the pain, the emotion, the passion. In all, a movie that should be seen.

Seen at the Devonshire Odeon Cinema, in Windsor (Ontario), on August 21st, 2001.

85/100 (***½)

...yesterday evening I saw the european premiere of this beautiful movie at the Berlinale. The majority of the audience was overwhelmed with emotion - and so was I. One major difference to other great love stories is that after nearly a day I STILL am moved. This movie is my new number one love story of all time and replaced my long time number one "Comrades: Almost a love affair". Despite the sad but inescapable end of "Lost and Delirious" for some reason I felt perfectly happy during and after the end credits of the film. I don't know why I had this feeling but I cannot thank Lea Pool - the director of this film - enough for not disrupting this feeling with a redundant question answering-game afterwards. Maybe she didn't do it because she was perfectly happy too...

Admittedly, I rented this movie for the wrong reason (being a post adolescent male, "Piper Perabo" and "lesbian" seemed to go well together). However, it turned out to be a really good flick which was really well done on all levels. Technically, the 3 main actresses portrayed their parts really well. The cinematography was excellent, including some really well done shots that seem to stick with you after the movie. (Piper Perabo on the roof with the eagle, for one). Storywise, this movie is also excellent. As another reviewer said, it's poetry. It talks not only of love, but of love lost and no longer requited. It talks of change and the extents to which a person will go to get that special someone back. All in all, I'd give this movie 4 stars out of 5 and recommend renting it to anyone looking to fill a couple hours with a good movie.

I personally L-O-V-E-D this movie. I didn't view it until recently and I have to say it changed my life. This movie made me wake up and realize exactly how I feel in my relationship and made me recognize what I would do for my partner.

The way that Paulie feels for Tori is so strong that I could feel it in the room when I watched this movie. Personally I think I would do the same thing that Paulie did. I would go off the deep end if my partner, one that I love and adore just dropped me like that. It also made me realize how other people feel about two girls who love each other. Now I can understand how people feel about my relationship and I know how to handle other people's feelings.

Lost and Delirious is about three girls who attend a private boarding school. As is common with such films, the girls feel alienated from their parents and at odds with the adult world in general.

As in real life, the characters sometimes turn to rebellion to voice or act out their dissatisfactions. They break all the rules and, isolated as they are in the self-contained world of the all-girls school, they create their own world, which they liken to Peter Pan's world of the Lost Boys.

This is a coming of age story. But it is more than that. It is a love story that may be uniquely about teens or may be universal for all ages.

Paulie, played by Piper Perabo, is a young woman with great passions. When she reads Shakespeare, she doesn't just read the lines, she relates to the desperation of the characters, especially after her roommate Victoria rejects her love. She admires raptors because they live a simple life and are compelled by nature to hunt and obtain what they need. Paulie wishes to become more raptor-like as she suffers the pain of rejection (and the pain of loving). Piper Perabo plays the part tremendously. I enjoyed watching her in this role, in part because I watch Covert Affairs and I enjoyed seeing her earlier in her career.

Victoria is played by Jessica Pare. The other roommate, Mary, is played by Mischa Barton. Both play their roles convincingly, with passion.

The headmistress is played by Jackie Burroughs. She is inspired in her portrayal. One feels that so many levels of her character lie behind her words and actions. In a small role, Graham Greene is notable, as usual.

The film captures the disappointment of young people who are torn between loving and hating their parents. It explores the edge between childhood and adulthood, where roles (in society) are defined, sometimes painfully. And it celebrates the passion of all-encompassing love, especially by young people who burn so brightly.

I enjoyed the soundtrack of this film. The direction was well done, bringing the viewer into the world of the girls. The only choice that bothered me was the ending. Not that it was horrible, but I found it distracting. I feel the same symbolism could have been achieved without the confusing move into surrealism.

What could be more pure and genuine than the serendipity of an honest page from a young girl's diary, spotted with the teardrops she wept as she wrote? The diary belongs to 14 year old Mary Bedford (Mary Brave) as she writes about the heart breaking emotional trauma she suffers during her first year at boarding school. Lost And Delirious is a movie about the purest form of committed love, the kind that transcends all boundaries and causes those committed to devote every fiber of their being, heart and soul, to their loved one. There is no turning back or "getting over" this kind of love; once broken the heart can never mend. Most people will never experience this kind of pure love and, even if the opportunity were there, would never take such a chance with their emotions. If you have ever loved another person so intensely that you felt your life would be over if the relationship ended, you will identify with the character, Paulie Oster, and this movie may break your heart.

L&D is not a lesbian movie about girls being naughty and experimenting at boarding school. If you're not the sensitive type and expect to be inflamed with lust this movie would be wasted on you. Get yourself a pound of fried pork skins, a six-pack of $1.49 beer on sale at the local convenience store, and rent Bimbos From Planet Lesbos instead.

I thought 'Lost and Delirious' would be about some spoilt teenage girls hooking up on sex, drugs and rock and roll. But, to my surprise, it was something else. It's about three school roommates. Two of them engage in a 'forbidden' relationship while the other confronts her own issues and narrates the story. 'Lost and Delirious' isn't an easy film to watch. I don't want to hand out any spoiler but I'll say that it truly sticks to the title and parts of it are disturbing. I did not like how the film was treated because had it not been for the music and Piper Perabo's acting, it would have felt like a TV movie. At times, the pace is painfully slow and some scenes seem pointless. Piper Perabo steals the show with her terrific portrayal of the emotionally tortured and abandoned Paulie. Mischa Barton looks uncomfortable (and she needs to eat) but does okay in a few scenes. The soundtrack is quite unusual. There is something captivating about it. I also liked the sequences with Paulie and the raptor that symbolized liberty. It is not an easy film to watch but tells an interesting story of rejected love.

The worst part about this film is that it did not have to be so terrible.

They had a nice budget, though so do many films; they made it look slick and pretty, and best of all they had the 21st century lesbian-savvy audiences who would embrace a lesbian positive film... and yet the writer and director went out of their way to lift every single redone film bit about lesbian torment and confusion at boarding schools, (you know, the place all lesbian love lives and dies).

This is a theme that has been done again and again and AGAIN in film, but something that viewers-if one uses this voting forum as a clue- cannot seem to get enough of.

Every element of this story was so over the top, excessively phony and contrived that it was painful to sit through. The lead characters say it all: the crazy, abandoned, genius, rebel lesbian tough girl (well, they took a super pretty femme like Piper Perabo and tried to rough her up, but it didn't stick much) seduces pretty rich girl who is destined to betray her.

Watching them every step of the way is character 3, a dopey, well-meaning, wide-eyed, good girl observer. I say 'every step' because she shares her every thought with the audience via the stiffest, most inane monologues.

Her lines seem to have been WRITTEN by a fifteen year old, though they are trying oh so, so hard to sound like how a fifteen year old would really, um, you know, well... talk. "Hearing them (make love) with their noises was um, you know, like, well... okay!" she says about her 2 wanton roommates, who roll around in the bed next to her.

Later she asks Graham Greene- the accomplished native American actor who is completely wasted in a roll as a gardener (!) "Is it wrong to care what people think?"

Sorry, but is she a teenager, or is she age 7?

Granted, Piper Perabo (as Polly the tortured dyke) & others do an okay job for the horrible lines they are forced to utter. Perabo has a nice energy level and is obviously very comfortable in front of a camera. She would do well in a decent project, so this is in no way a criticism of the acting.

But this story is SHAMELESS in perpetuating every single stereotype about lesbians all rolled into one character. They couldn't stop with her (Polly) being an angry, crazy-passionate, secret genius who finished math problems for the speechless teacher. Oh but that's after she argues with the teacher who dares accuse her of "gabbing".

"That's a word THEY (males) use against US (women)!" she says, stomping out of the classroom.

Is this ALL the writer could come up with? Or maybe we should ask: Why stop there?

Poole and co. went on and made Polly a poetic dark child who communicates with wild hawks by screaming their name in the woods.

Cue the slow motion, sci-fi, Xena atmosphere!

Then we have her writing to her birth mother... (most lesbians are love-starved orphans, in case you were in the dark).

Then we have two teachers (one uptight, one a zany type with loose neck ties) who hover around all of the action (the school looks awfully big for just 2 teachers)... and give dark child/ seductress/bird girl tense looks. Hmmmm. I wonder if something well, you know... um, FUNNY is happening between these TWO TEACHERS??????

There is simply no excuse for something this poorly done. Heartbreak happens, but surely the writer and director know that lesbians exist in much more sophisticated times than this schlock.

I cannot reveal the ending out of respect to those who force themselves to sit through til the end, but if you are not laughing, I can only guess you are crying. And not for the right reason. And I don't mean the wimpy make out scenes.

Having seen Léa Pool's wonderful 1998 coming-of-age film, "Set Me Free," I was excited to check out this new film of hers. How disappointing to find that the charm, character and sincerity of that film is completely missing here.

The plot: It doesn't take Mary, the mousy new girl at an all girl's school, very long to figure out that her two roommates (Pauline, rebellious and tough, and Victoria, more traditional) are lovers. But when some other girls discover them in bed together, Victoria starts pretending to be straight. This makes the rebellious Pauline go nuts, so she takes up bird training and pretending that she's living in the 14th Century while the mousy girl runs around looking distressed.

When the film begins, the three female leads are ridiculously bouncy and hyper, causing me to wonder if they might be the same actors I saw on "Barney" about six years ago. Then, when the girls turn "serious," they sound like they're reading their lines from a drugstore romance novel: "Have you ever been really thirsty, so you take a big drink of milk right out of the carton - only it's gone sour? That's what's happening to me. Inside. Forever." How can this line be taken seriously?

One of the few things worse than the film's dialogue is the overbearing grab-bag of a soundtrack. The music leaps from "inspirational" Native American Rain Forest Muzak for the bird training scenes to mid-'80s horror film synthesizers for the "dramatic" moments (like the shattering mirror) and then on to the "gut-wrenching" love ballad that plays during a 5-minute close-up of Pauline's twisted face as she writhes in pain from suffering and despair. Good grief.

Jackie Burroughs, the incredible actress who plays the school's elderly headmistress, is more beautiful, sexy, dynamic, exciting, genuine and fascinating than all of the other characters in the film combined. She delivers the film's only genuinely moving scenes, but her outstanding (and brief) performance only makes the rest of the film seem that much more banal.

This film may have been revolutionary had it been made in 1961, but it's set in 2001, so the girls' self-hatred and repression seem outdated and unnecessarily melodramatic. I just wanted to slap them.

If you're interested in cinema that deals intelligently and realistically with the difficulties and confusion - as well as the pleasure and joy - of young women coming to terms with their attraction to each other, I would recommend "The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls In Love" and "Show Me Love."

Lost and Delirious is an amalgam of all that people hate about indie films. Its characters awkwardly speak pseudo-poetic lines that I'm sure look really good on paper. Piper Perabo does the best she can, but she's saddled with faux-meaningful tripe like "Don't touch the raptor," and "Here we're lost... and delirious." Any flick that mentions it's title so self-consciously in a line should be automatically disqualified from everything. Yes, it's about love, but the device of lesbianism arising from boarding school has been done much better. And of course, there's the requisite suicide, understanding lesbian mentor, and monologues on the freedom of birds. Its symbolism is painfully obvious, its structure predictable, and its writing self-conscious. Avoid, unless you want to make an inspiring movie - then watch Lost and Delirious to make sure you don't make the same mistakes.

Young lesbians looking for films about themselves deserve so much better than this movie. So does anyone else who watches it.

The first problem is that the dialogue is unrealistic. These characters launch into what they think are beautiful poetic speeches that no real person would be able to make up off the top of their heads. The scene where the three main characters are reciting letters to their mothers is particularly bad; the first has written hers ahead of time but the other two spontaneously create drivel that some scriptwriter must think is particularly deep and intriguing.

The second problem is that we're never really shown what's so, so great about the love between Tori and Paulie that Paulie will go through the lengths she does for it. I'm sure fans of this movie will claim that "it's true love!", but the film leaves us to infer this instead of making us truly believe it.

There are various notes that ring emotionally false. One that stands out is Mary's reaction to her two roommates having sex in their room while she's there; she appears to have no problem with it. I can just hear the thought process of the writer of the original novel (or of the screenwriter, if this wasn't in the original): "Mary has to be absolutely okay with everything, or else she'll look homophobic." You find me a high school girl who's completely comfortable with two people of either gender having sex in the room while she's there, I'll show you a high school girl who's either a voyeur or is trying too hard to seem "cool".

The actors try hard to sell this story, but the script is so bad that it can't be done. As the film progresses Paulie begins to look more and more like a head case, and the awkward Shakespearean quotes get worse. Don't waste your time watching this. 2/10

If you think it's beautiful to be obsessive about who you are in love with, then I can imagine giving it a good rating... but I cannot imagine that this theme of obsessiveness and having little respect for others (such as the way Paulie treats the teachers who try to help her) is anything you would want to teach your children. Yes, it's also bad the way Victoria treated Paulie, but guess what. That's life. Isn't it a more important lesson to learn how to get past these disappointments and make the best of your life? Or is falling off the roof a better lesson to teach our children? Secondly, when Mary's father didn't show up for the dinner, and Paulie helped Mary release her anger, that Mary even said she wished he were dead... Somehow I don't think this is a good message either that you deal with your disappointments through anger.

Well, that's what this should have been called, anyway. Mainly, due the the ridiculous, ham-fisted use of what can barely be called symbolism by the director. It would not have surprised me to find out that this was A) One of Lea Pool's earliest efforts, and B) at least semi-autobiographical. Turns out A is wrong, although I don;t know about B. I will bet she attended boarding school, though, and had a rather terrible same-sex relationship of SOME kind. This is the message that was beat down our throats by this film, and the short film which preceded it, the name of which I no longer recall.

At any rate, the character development was clumsy (Who introduces herself by saying what her name means? Nobody.) the symbols were about as subtle as an all-glass elevator full of teen-age girls losing a cable and plummeting eighty stories. All over a loudspeaker. Honestly, the cry of a falcon when Perabo declared she was a raptor and leapt off the table? That was ridiculous to the point of parody. And it was only one of far too many symbols meant to show even the dumbest of viewers what her point was. And that was that she had a crappy childhood and feels the need to make movies about it, ala Vincent Gallo, instead of seeing a therapist, ala all of us who get on with our lives. There was nothing tender, nothing sweet, and nothing moving about this film. It was poorly enacted trash, and the actors could not save the Brett Ratneresque over the top "HEY THIS IS MY POINT IN THIS MOVIE" use of film techniques, writing, and acting. Sorry, but it was terrible.