Under the white oleander’s surface beauty lies a dangerous toxin – and under the lovely exterior of Ingrid Magnussen (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) brews a deadly need to control.

“White Oleander” details the development of a teen-ager’s struggle to develop her identity and free herself from her dominating mother under the cruelest of circumstances.

Alison Lohman is mesmerizing as Astrid Magnussen, a teen-ager who moves from one bizarre foster home to the next, trying to make sense of inherently senseless situations.

Pfeiffer delivers a compelling performance as Astrid’s self-centered, artistic mother who ends up behind bars. Renee Zellweger is equally impressive as a foster mother who takes in Astrid in an attempt to deal with her own emotional lack.

The story, narrated by Astrid, begins and ends with old suitcases. She uses them to artistically depict the last few years of her tumultuous life in an effort to pack her memories away neatly and move on, so to speak.

The movie reviews how each of Astrid’s relationships shape her personality, her mind and her heart. As she enters each new foster home, the quick, hand-held camera work helps convey her confusion and lack of grounding.

The scenes that director Peter Kosminsky chooses to leave out are just as compelling as the scenes he shoots. The story unfolds in deep layers that are left to viewers’ intelligence, emotional maturity and imagination, much like an intense sex scene, where the curtain is pulled and the viewer fills in the blanks.

This is a movie that begs audience engagement. If you cannot delve into Astrid’s experience with an open heart, you may walk away feeling dissatisfied with the film, which portrays rather outlandish characterizations of needy foster parents with their own sets of dysfunctional problems.

In the end, “White Oleander” bears witness to the effect of imperfect love and the power of the human spirit not only to survive, but also to persevere and risk the inherent hazards of relationships.