Prozac Nation (film)

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This article is about the film. For the book, see Prozac Nation.

Prozac Nation is the name of an independent film starring Christina Ricci based on an autobiography of the same name by Elizabeth Wurtzel. It is based on a true story that describes Wurtzel's experiences with clinical depression. The title is a reference to prozac, the name of an antidepressant she was prescribed.

[edit] Film

Prozac Nation DVD cover

The book was turned into a motion picture directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg and starring Christina Ricci, Jason Biggs, and Anne Heche. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2001; distribution rights were acquired by Miramax Films with the intent of giving the film a wider theatrical release.

Months of subsequent test screenings and re-edits of the film never led to a broad commercial release. The film was released in Norway, Skjoldbjærg's native country, in August 2003, but it never had a national release in the U.S. market. It premiered on the Starz! channel in March 2005, and was released on DVD that following summer.

Frank Deasy, who co-wrote the screenplay, offered his opinion to The Guardian on Miramax's failure to release the film:

It's a truthful depiction of depression. And I think the reason Miramax has struggled is the fact that it doesn't have a traditional dramatic structure, in terms of a clear, unqualified ending. Look at the book: Elizabeth is very clear that Prozac has helped her, but you're left with a dilemma, because perhaps she no longer knows who she is. We didn't want to come down heavily on one side or the other. People who've experienced depression like that aspect of the film, but a lot of people don't like it. Miramax certainly don't seem to like it.