The screenplay was adapted from Janet Fitch's 1999 novel White Oleander, which was selected for Oprah's Book Club in May 1999.

Murdering him with white oleander poison, Ingrid is incarcerated, leaving Astrid under social services' control.

At the prison visit, Ingrid jealously exploits Claire's low self-esteem and suspicions over Mark's fidelity, which worsens her depression.

Astrid passes up good foster parent candidates for Russian immigrant Rena Gruschenka, who uses kids as laborers for her flea market business.

In control over her mother for once, Astrid demands answers about her past in exchange for testifying that Barry committed suicide.

She hammers her mom with questions about Barry, her father, Claire, and a woman named Annie, whom Astrid vaguely recalls from her toddler years.

Two years later, a blonde-again Astrid lives in NYC with Paul, tending to her art: dioramas in suitcases depicting her life up to that point.

[3] White Oleander holds a rating of 70% on Rotten Tomatoes[4] and a score of 61 on Metacritic,[5] indicating generally favorable reviews.

Stephen Holden, writing for The New York Times, called it a "rich, turbulent adaptation," and described the performances as "superbly acted from top to bottom."

Comparing it to other films on the same theme – Anywhere but Here (1999), Tumbleweeds (1999), and The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002) – Holden found White Oleander to be the only one to show "how children instinctively absorb their parents' attitudes and personalities.

"[6] Andrew Sarris, writing for The Observer, named it as a runner-up on his list of the ten best English-language films of 2002.

[10] Lohman's work was variously described as "the year's most auspicious screen acting début",[6] a "tremendously weighty and extended role... [taken on] with great confidence"[10] and an "awesome performance".

White Oleander was released on VHS and DVD by Warner Home Video on March 11, 2003 and includes special features such as the theatrical trailer, interviews with the cast and creators, behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes, an audio commentary with Peter Kosminsky, John Wells and Janet Fitch, and Cast and Crew film highlights.