White Oleander
2002 · 109 min · Director: Peter Kosminsky
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Astrid Magnussen (Alison Lohman) is a fifteen-year-old girl, living in California. Her mother, Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer), is a beautiful, free-spirited poet and artist who also suffers from a borderline personality disorder (BPD). Their life, though unusual, is satisfying until one day, a man named Barry Kolker (Sir Billy Connolly) (that her mother refers to at first as "The goat man") comes into their lives, and Ingrid falls madly in love with him, only to have her heart broken, and her life ruined. For revenge, Ingrid murders Barry with the deadly poison of her favorite flower: the White Oleander. She is sent to prison for life, and Astrid has to go through foster home after foster home. Throughout nearly a decade, she experiences forbidden love, religion, near-death experiences, drugs, starvation, and how it feels to be loved. But throughout these years, she keeps in touch with her mother via letters to prison. And while Ingrid's gift is to give Astrid the power to survive, Astrid's gift is to teach her Mother about love.
Emotional fingerprint
White Oleander (2002) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Empathy 30%, Sadness 25%, Anxiety 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Empathy30%
- Sadness25%
- Anxiety20%
- Melancholy15%
- Hope10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Empathy, Sadness, Anxiety. Genres: Drama. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Empathy, Sadness and Anxiety. Its IMDb rating of 7.1/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 71/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Empathy
- Sadness
- Tension
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Curiosity
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Relief
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Empathy | Sadness | Tension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Curiosity | 48 % | 28 % | 28 % | 33 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 8′ | Sadness | 52 % | 39 % | 38 % | 44 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 14′ | Tension | 61 % | 51 % | 48 % | 56 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 19′ | Tension | 60 % | 51 % | 46 % | 54 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 25′ | Sadness | 56 % | 49 % | 43 % | 50 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 30′ | Tension | 59 % | 49 % | 39 % | 56 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 35′ | Tension | 64 % | 50 % | 39 % | 63 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 41′ | Tension | 69 % | 58 % | 48 % | 57 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 46′ | Empathy | 64 % | 60 % | 49 % | 39 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 52′ | Empathy | 54 % | 53 % | 39 % | 28 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 57′ | Relief | 46 % | 43 % | 26 % | 28 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 63′ | Relief | 46 % | 40 % | 23 % | 36 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 68′ | Tension | 61 % | 53 % | 39 % | 57 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 74′ | Sadness | 77 % | 69 % | 65 % | 65 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 79′ | Sadness | 73 % | 65 % | 65 % | 49 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 84′ | Curiosity | 60 % | 50 % | 44 % | 44 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 90′ | Tension | 68 % | 56 % | 48 % | 60 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 95′ | Sadness | 80 % | 73 % | 64 % | 70 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 101′ | Empathy | 80 % | 76 % | 65 % | 55 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 106′ | Empathy | 77 % | 75 % | 63 % | 32 % |
Icarus
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Guard
Julie
Girl in Fight
Teacher
Rena Gruschenka
Bill Greenway
Details
- Directed by
- Peter Kosminsky
- Written by
- Mary Agnes Donoghue, Janet Fitch
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2002
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Country
- United States
- Genres
- Drama
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Empathy
- Data updated
Where to watch
Subscription
Rent
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