Prozac Nation tells the true story of young writer Elizabeth “Lizzie” Wurtzel (Christina Ricci). She’s 19 years old and has just gotten accepted into Harvard with a scholarship in journalism. Her parents are separated with her father (Nicholas Campbell) mostly out of the picture and her mother (Jessica Lange) raising her alone and without any financial assistance from the dad. Lizzie hasn’t even seen her father in four years and misses him which contributes to her ever growing feelings of depression. Her complete lack of a relationship with her father bleeds into her interactions with her mother causing her to grow distant and angry towards her, lashing out in much the same way she has observed her mother doing to her father.
Soon after arriving at Harvard, Lizzie sets out to lose her virginity, then throws a party over it with the help of her roomie, Ruby (Michelle Williams), frustrating and alienating the guy, Noah (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), she slept with. She wins an award for an article she wrote for The Harvard Crimson, but she soon finds herself unable to write anymore. She is acting self-destructively, ruining her friendship with Ruby, and self-medicating with a handful of illegal drugs. Her behavior and addictions land her in therapy sessions that her mother can barely afford and her father refuses to help pay. Things continue to get worse and she begins to see life as something she must find an escape from.
When the film opens we see two sides to Lizzie. There is a brief shot of her typing out something on her keyboard, showing us her artistic side. The credits role, then we see her at her most open and vulnerable, sitting on the edge of her bed, totally nude, exposed to the world with nothing to hide behind. Her mother comes in and is not phased by this, ignoring it in fact as she pushes her daughter into getting packed and ready to leave for college. This interaction is just a brief glimpse into the strained relationship these two women have. We will see much more of this throughout the film, both in the present as well as in flashbacks. As overbearing as the mother is this is not a one dimensional character. There are reasons behind her character and actions. Her husband abandoned her and left her to raise a daughter without any assistance. Their relationship shapes how she will interact with her daughter throughout most of the film.
Lizzie as a character is fascinating to watch. One of the first shots is a young Lizzie, played in flashbacks by Zoe Miller, cutting herself with a razor blade. This self mutilation doesn’t come back until much later but gives us a quick glimpse into the mental state of this character. She is hurting emotionally and lashing out at herself. Later she will do things that will prevent people from getting close to her, alienating herself from any real chance of having a relationship that could end the way her parent’s did. She’s an emotional mess that, for short periods of time, can hide this but eventually will lose control and hurt those around her.
One such person is Rafe (Jason Biggs), a fellow student that has genuinely fallen for Lizzie. Throughout their relationship he shows a great amount of patience with her neuroses, staying with her even after facing the wrath of her mood swings and low self-esteem. When he has to go home to visit his family, she can’t stay away from him long enough and flies down uninvited, only to tear into him over his care for a disabled younger sister. Her accusations are unjustified and hurtful which is finally enough to push Rafe into breaking things off with her. He truly loved her but can no longer be with her.
The title of the film comes from the drug Prozac, commonly prescribed for treating the clinically depressed. Eventually, Lizzie will get prescribed the drug in an attempt to normalize her life. But, just by taking the drug, things do not completely resolve themselves and she finds herself in the bathroom of her therapist’s office, hovering over the bathroom sink with a broken shard of glass held to her wrist. She has hit rock bottom, willing to kill herself to end her emotional turmoil. Only the sight of her doctor, cradling her toddler daughter to hide her from seeing this, keeps Lizzie from applying pressure to her wrists with the jagged glass. It is an intense moment that is bolstered by a harrowing performance by Christina Ricci, who has done a tremendous job throughout bringing to life a character that is both horrendous and sympathetic.
This is not an easy film to watch. It’s a fairly realistic depiction of a mental condition that plagues a lot of people. It also shows that medication, as positive of an influence it can have in these situations, isn’t a perfect solution. There is no perfect solution for clinical depression but medications can help smooth things out and help people normalize their lives. That’s what happens at the end of the film. Lizzie feels like she’s traded part of herself for this feeling of normalcy and perhaps she has. Was it worth it? Her relationship with her mother has improved. We don’t get to see how her personal life in college has changed but we can speculate.
This film didn’t fare well with critics and audiences at the time. The same complaints leveled at the book were leveled at the film, too. People in general couldn’t relate to Lizzie. She’s a hard character to like and that makes most people not want to go on her journey to normalcy. But this is what it can be like for thousands of people who suffer from atypical depression. It’s not easy and it can isolate people from family and friends. It’s not fun to watch this journey but it is one that everyone should see and understand if for no other reason than to help build up some empathy towards those who will see a bit of themselves in Lizzie.
Release Date: March 19, 2005
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Rated R
Starring: Christina Ricci, Jason Biggs, Anne Heche, Michelle Williams, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Jessica Lange
Directed By: Erik Skjoldbjærg
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