Prozac Nation - My life with the psycho pill

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Movie
German title Prozac Nation - My life with the psycho pill
Original title Prozac Nation
Country of production USA , Germany
original language English
Publishing year 2001
length 99 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Erik Skjoldbjærg
script Elizabeth Wurtzel (autobiography),
Galt Niederhoffer ,
Frank Deasy ,
Larry Gross
production R. Paul Miller ,
Galt Niederhoffer ,
Christina Ricci ,
u. a.
music Nathan Larson
camera Erling Thurmann-Andersen
cut James Lyons
occupation

Prozac Nation - My Life with the Psycho Pill (also: Prozac Nation - Sex, Pillen und Lou Reed or Prozac Nation ) is an American film from 2001 based on the 1994 autobiography Damned Beautiful World. My life with the psychopill of the music journalist Elizabeth Wurtzel . Christina Ricci plays the main role . The theatrical release of the film was delayed; eventually it was shown on US television in March 2005.

action

Elizabeth, called Lizzy, a young woman from a rather poor background, starts studying journalism at Harvard University . She had started writing poetry and stories very early in her youth. Her mother is very committed to having things better than herself and is very proud that she received a Harvard scholarship. At the same time, she is very worried about her daughter, as she often felt like a nerd and lived withdrawn from others. The mother hopes that Lizzy will now find more social contacts at Harvard. She has not had any contact with her father for four years after he left the family for another woman.

At Harvard, Lizzy, who already uses cannabis, also comes into contact with other drugs. In the first semester she received an award from the renowned Rolling Stone magazine for an article about Lou Reed, whose concert she attended. She tries to maintain this success, which puts a lot of pressure on her. She no longer sleeps and uses drugs almost indiscriminately to both perk herself up and to calm herself down. However, her writer's block does not resolve and she begins to suffer more and more from a loss of reality. Her friends are therefore worried about her condition and during a short stay in the clinic she meets the psychiatrist Dr. Know sterling. She goes to this later in order to stabilize herself - especially through talk therapy. Meanwhile, her father tries to get in touch with her again. Lizzy is ambivalent about this plan, as she explains her fears about her relationship by the fact that her father has left her. As Lizzy later finds out, the father does not, as promised, pay for her therapy. Because of this, Lizzy feels very guilty about her mother, who pays for both Lizzy's studies and therapy, which means that she has to give up her apartment and move to a poor area.

In between it turns out that Lizzy often behaves emotionally very unstable in contact with her mother and also with her best friend Ruby. In doing so, she often alternates between insults, insults, arrogance, injuries on the one hand and crossing boundaries, just as intense apologies and strong regrets on the other. It also becomes clear how strongly this is triggered by their self-doubt, but also how difficult it is for those around them to endure it.

Finally, she meets a young man with whom she gets involved more and who is not deterred by her impulsive outbursts. She wants him to come to her mother's house for Christmas, but the latter refuses with reference to his mother, who would not be well. She feels lonely with her mother and rushes to Texas, where she calls her boyfriend from the airport. He explains to her that it was due to his disabled sister that he did not want her to come with him. The sister has a seizure in the presence of Lizzy, after which he takes care of his sister. Unsettled by this, Lizzy accuses her boyfriend that he "likes" to help. He finds this "sick"; he is overwhelmed and finally separates from her at the airport.

Towards the end of the film, the psychiatrist convinces Lizzy to take a drug, which will ease her mood swings and impulsive breakthroughs. However, Lizzy experiences herself as “not herself”, which in turn casts her into doubt. The psychiatrist continues to recommend her to take the drug, but also says that it is her decision, whereupon Lizzy storms out of the session and wants to cut her wrists in the bathroom next door, which she fails to do after the psychiatrist and her little daughter appear.

At the end of the film, after a visit to the pharmacy, the protagonist's thoughtful view of the pharmacy as the “crack house” and the psychiatrist as the “dealer” is spoken from off-screen and in the credits the number of prescriptions of antidepressants in the USA, etc. a. Prozac , listed.

Reviews

“A moderate film adaptation of a not undisputed bestseller, which deals with illness, drugs, sex problems and a tense daughter-mother relationship. The mood of the protagonists is awkwardly explained by thought processes spoken from the off. "

- Lexicon of International Films

“Indecisive genre hopping: from cheeky to brittle, final warning. Conclusion: Not really happy despite Prozac "

- Cinema

rental

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2001. Miramax Films acquired the rights, but failed to get the film a significant distribution in theaters. In the USA it never got into the national distribution, in Skjoldbjærg's home country Norway it came out in August 2003.

Soundtrack

The following list shows the songs that were played in the film, sorted by credits.

  1. The Promise - Bruce Springsteen
  2. Mystery Achievement - The Pretenders
  3. I Will Dare - The Replacements
  4. Perfect Day - Lou Reed
  5. Sweet Jane - Lou Reed
  6. Keep the Promise - The Pontiac Brothers
  7. Ivory Tower - The Long Ryders
  8. Who Is Who - The Adolescents
  9. The Real West - Thin White Rope
  10. The will of Dr. Mabuse - propaganda

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for Prozac Nation - My life with the psychopill . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , November 2009 (PDF; test number: 120 419 V).
  2. ↑ Zweiausendeins.de: film review
  3. ↑ Cinema.de: film review
  4. ↑ John Harris: Release me (English) The Guardian / The Observer, July 18, 2004, accessed January 4, 2014

Web links