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jekylljuice · 12-14-2008, 03:37 AM

The Savages

This was a very poignant and well-acted drama about an estranged family which reunites when the elderly father begins suffering from dementia. I'd actually been meaning to see it a lot earlier this year when my downtown cinema was showing it, only unlucky me, I had an essay to write at the time, and they'd had their very last screening the day before I handed it in. So I've had to wait a while for Lovefilm to get it to me on rental DVD. It was definitely worth it though. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys understated character studies - the performances are uniformly strong (Laura Linney is particularly excellent, but then she's great in anything), Tamara Jenkins' direction is haunting and engaging, and the characters are well-rounded and interesting; all quite distinctly flawed, but the film refrains from judging them. This is particularly true of Philip Bosco's characater...though the film hints at several points that he has not been an especially pleasant person throughout life, it does not prevent him from becoming sympathetic in his vulnerability - indeed, this is the basis for the film's arguably most revealing and emotionally unsettling moment.

As is appropriate, the film reaches no easy solutions, but it does close on a very beautiful, highly uplifting and entirely unspoken note.

12-14-2008, 03:37 AM	#1733
jekylljuice Executive Weasel Ball jekylljuice was here. Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: the 44th floor (not counting the mezzanine) Posts: 1,568	The Savages This was a very poignant and well-acted drama about an estranged family which reunites when the elderly father begins suffering from dementia. I'd actually been meaning to see it a lot earlier this year when my downtown cinema was showing it, only unlucky me, I had an essay to write at the time, and they'd had their very last screening the day before I handed it in. So I've had to wait a while for Lovefilm to get it to me on rental DVD. It was definitely worth it though. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys understated character studies - the performances are uniformly strong (Laura Linney is particularly excellent, but then she's great in anything), Tamara Jenkins' direction is haunting and engaging, and the characters are well-rounded and interesting; all quite distinctly flawed, but the film refrains from judging them. This is particularly true of Philip Bosco's characater...though the film hints at several points that he has not been an especially pleasant person throughout life, it does not prevent him from becoming sympathetic in his vulnerability - indeed, this is the basis for the film's arguably most revealing and emotionally unsettling moment. As is appropriate, the film reaches no easy solutions, but it does close on a very beautiful, highly uplifting and entirely unspoken note. __________________ That's it, The End, But you'll get over it, My Friend. Last edited by jekylljuice; 12-14-2008 at 03:39 AM.