"White Oleanders are poisonous, I don't know why anyone would grow them"

I do. Because they are elegant and beautiful, their deadliness enhancing their beauty.
It is my third time watching this movie but it still grips me. Very tightly. And haunts me. The most beautiful mother and daughter relationship, and also the deadliest. Poisoned love. Love by poison. Redemption by death. Ooo...
I really cannot do this movie justice by talking about it. But I will attempt to compliment, to my greatest ability, Alison Lohman and Michelle Pfeiffer's excellent performances. I have hardly, well never, seen a teenager portrayed with more conviction than Lohman's portrayal. Plus, I just discovered she was 23 when she did this, and I truly believed her to be the below-20 youth she was playing in the movie. Her saddness, neediness, angst and grief were so real. I cannot say I approve of plenty of her actions in the movie; sleeping with Ray being on top of the list, but I feel I know and understand why she did. And that's as good as it gets. I never once doubted her, her person. I didn't see acting, I saw being.
And Pfeiffer. Need I say more? She is one of the most perfect actresses I know, and she does not disappoint in White Oleander. She is strong, proud, independent, scary, angry and finally wins us over with her redemptive sacrifice of staying in prison without getting Astrid, Lohman, to lie in court for her release. You do not question why she kills the man, why she is such a great artist. You have no doubt that she loves Astrid, hates herself for her weakness, and is scared. All at the same time. You go, Pfeiffer.
Kosminsky has my admiration for maintaining my attention throughout the movie; its hold on me was lasting and never relented, even though I watched it at 2am in the morning. And trust me, it's not an action-packed movie so there are no fight scenes and explosions to keep you awake. Just pure good story-telling powers. The pacing is fluent, especially considering the many transitions Astrid, and the movie, go through, from foster home to foster home. Oh, the soundtrack. It is very subtle and simple, clean and clear instrumental, except for the credits' song, which was a great choice - hauntingly beautiful melody and vocals, with truthful lyrics. The movie is visually kept simple, save that one outstanding shot of the milk pouring into the glass and the white oleander sinking in. Pure poison.
White Oleadner is nothing less than a 7.4 in my book. The flaws are few, the main one, I believe is that Pfeiffer could do with a little more than the few minutes that she gets to show her 3D breakdown scene.