Erik Skjoldbjærg knows how to capture an apprehensive and uneasy atmosphere, which he does brilliantly in his original Norwegian version of Insomnia (1997).  In the film Prozac Nation he introduces the audience to Elizabeth (Christina Ricci) and her dysfunctional family that constantly tears her apart emotionally with their own needs while never considering what their daughter and granddaughter truly need.  Guilt, verbal abuse, and emotional neglect are the daily ordain for Elizabeth around her kin, as she finds a way to relieve herself of her own demons through writing.  Her way to deal is by scribbling down letters, letters to words, words to sentences, sentences to paragraphs, and eventually to complete works.  This becomes her way of dealing with stress, issues, and other predicaments.  In a sense, it becomes her very way of living, as she finds herself publishing her first work in Seventeen Magazine.

Elizabeth receives a journalism scholarship to Harvard University where she for the first time gets to bring some distance between her and her mother, Sarah (Jessica Lange), who has been overwhelmingly involved in Elizabeth's life.  It becomes a time of many firsts for her, as she discovers a new side of her that did not exist in high school.  She becomes very involved in writing for the university paper, The Crimson, that opens her doors to the Rolling Stones magazine where she has been asked to write a piece.  However, it becomes a devastating experience for her, as she finds herself lost with unfamiliar emotion that pulls her into a downward spiraling turmoil causing writers block, insomnia, and poor hygiene that also affect her health.  She faces the psychological demon called depression.

The chemistry between the parents suggests a troubling upbringing, but also the source of Elizabeth's anxiousness and helpless mindset.  Yet, nothing in the film is definite, and this is important, as there are no one single sources or solutions for clinical depression.  Instead Skjoldbjærg cleverly mixes several complex issues into one organic mix where Elizabeth's persona emerges shaken, lost, and helpless.  Her everyday decisions become shadowed by her own negative view of herself, which she projects onto those around her in a constant need to feel good, but never achieves.  The smallest issues turns into gigantic ordeals causing much pain to her and everyone around her as people slowly begin to drift away from her self-destructive persona.  It is a tragic, disturbing, and painful experience to see all the self-loathing that she illustrates through her thoughts and interactions with people.

Prozac Nation will definitely not cheer anyone up, as this cinematic experience will certainly turn into a downer.  The pessimistic and gloomy story of Elizabeth offers an intriguing story that maybe could help some to open their eyes to how some people feel or experience depression.  This is in consideration of a certain movie star’s recent arrogant out-lash in media against depression, psychiatry, and psychology as pseudoscience illustrates that there still is ignorance among people in regards to clinical depression.  Nonetheless, Prozac Nation offers one detailed and multifaceted perspective on life in one of its darkest moments, which is very real to those who have suffered from clinical depression.

DIRECTED BY

COUNTRY

Germany / USA

Filmography links and data courtesy of