American Women's Club of Hamburg

 

Film Reviews -- April 2008

Reviews by members of the AWC Film Group of films slated to open in Hamburg in April 2008.

 

Our Film Rating System

* * * * *  

  Excellent film! Don't miss it!

* * * *  

  Good movie, worth going to see.

* * * *  

  Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

* * * *  

  OK, but read the review to understand my reservations.

* * * *  

  Bad, But we'll give them credit for making a movie!

*bomb rating  

  Bomb rating. Don't bother.

 

© Senator/Central Be Kind Rewind (Abgedreht) * * * *

(Becky T) Opening April 3, 2008

Mr. Fletcher’s (Danny Glover) video store, called Be Kind Rewind, is in a poor neighborhood in Passaic, New Jersey. Musician Fats Waller was born 1904 in the run-down building, which is condemned to be torn down. Mr. Fletcher travels, supposedly, to a Waller celebration, but actually to investigate the competition in order to improve his own sales. (He decides that all film shops should have a VHS section of oldies.) Mike (Mos Def) supervises the shop in his absence. He has strict instructions not to let Jerry (Jack Black) into the shop. Jerry lives in a nearby trailer, repairs cars, and is generally irresponsible. He does enter the shop and causes all videos to be erased with very little effort. Mike and Jerry rise to the challenge of blank tapes when Mrs. Falewicz (Mia Farrow) demands Ghostbusters. They film their own 20-minute version of that classic with themselves in all the roles. This is the beginning of new careers as film makers, actors, and producers. They churn out every genre from Rush Hour 2 to Lion King, Men in Black to When We Were Kings. Customers line up for these “Sweded” films and think they have got something special. Business booms until Ms. Lawson (Sigourney Weaver) appears with a complaint.

French director Michel Gondry has a name for creating unusual films, such as his Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep and Dave Chappelle’s Block Party. This comedy spoofs the film industry, piracy, entrepreneurs, high prices, videos vs. DVD, sequels, serials, and blockbusters. At the same time there is an obvious love for film making and a sense of nostalgia throughout. It was the perfect final film at the 2008 Berlinale where the film greats were gathered for the award ceremony. Parallel to the gags are wonderful renditions of Fats Waller on the road in his transport of choice: a Pullman train car (he died in one, 1943, in the Kansas City train station). In the press conference Gondry said “if people meet and shoot films together, they will have a good time and create their own system and be independent.” Where else would you hear a rap version of “Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he?” That’s definitely worth the price of a ticket.

 

© Alamode Film/ 24Bilder Caramel (Sukkar banat) * * * *

(Natasha R) Opening April 3, 2008

The film Caramel leaves a wonderfully sweet after-taste in your mind.The director, Nadine Labaki, plays the main role of the beautiful Layale, owner of the beauty salon where this delightfully interwoven tale of five women who are at turning points in their lives takes place. The intimate look into these women’s lives, their struggles and confrontations happens within the colorfully noisy city of Beirut, in Lebanon. It is here that each woman must deal with her own desires and dreams, religious expectations, position in society, all the while feeling she must repress her wishes in the name of convention.

There is Layale, a Christian, who wears a Virgin Mary necklace, but at the same time is having an affair with a married man. There is the beautiful Nisrine (Yasmine Al Masri), a Moslem. She works in Layale's salon and will soon be getting married, but must deal with the fact that she no longer is a virgin. A scandal! But even in Beirut, there is a solution for this little problem. Then we have Rima (Joanna Moukarzel), who is a closet lesbian and enjoys washing women’s hair. Her orientation is never spoken of but obvious in her down-to-earth manner. The seamstress, Rose, an older woman, works and lives in her atelier next door to the beauty salon and is confused when a wonderful gentleman, Charles, comes in repeatedly to have his pants shortened and who develops feelings of tenderness for Rose. But Rose is stuck between a rock and a hard place! She must eventually decide either to stay where she is and take care of her older deranged sister or break away from imposed familial expectations, live with guilt and go to her Charles. And last but not least, there is Jamale, best client and friend at the salon. She has been under the scalpel many a time and is confronted with angst about getting old and not having lived out her dream of becoming an actress.

Caramel is the sticky substance by which Middle Eastern women remove unwanted body hair, made of burned sugar, water and lemon juice, and serves as a binding theme throughout the film as Layale uses it on her customers who, while undressed, reveal private secrets about their lives. The film is about longing, waiting, and the incredible bond between women, their relationships with socially and religiously imposed limitations, and their incredible ability to overcome their trials through the use of humor and comraderie.

I don’t know if my opinion is somewhat biased because I lived in Beirut for four years, but I thoroughly enjoyed this director’s first film. Most surprising was to find out that all the actors are non-professionals but performed impeccably. Caramel has broken all records in its homeland and is the official candidate for an Oscar nomination in the category of best non-English language film. It won the public’s favorite prize in Cannes in 2008 as well as in San Sebastian. This film is shown in Arabic with subtitles.

 

© Warner Bros. Pictures GermanyRun Fatboy Run * * * *

(Becky T) Opening April 3, 2008

In spite of the off-putting title, this British comedy is inspiringly fun and educational. Dennis Doyle (Simon Pegg) leaves his pregnant bride Libby (Thandie Newton) in the lurch at the altar. Five years later he is not a boy, nor is he fat, nor does he run. He works as a security guard in a lingerie shop. Libby runs Libby’s Nice Buns bakery. One day, while visiting his illegitimate son Jake (Matthew Fenton), he realizes that Libby is moving forward with plans to marry Gordon (Dylan Moran) and give Jake a new father. Dennis still loves Libby, but believes he has no chance against hedge-fund-manager, marathon-runner Gordon. However, five years older and wiser, he decides finally to take a stand. He goes to spin class (cycling), signs up for the 26-mile Nike River Run marathon on the Thames River, sponsors a charity (erectile dysfunction sufferers’ union), and takes on two coaches (poker-playing friend Whit and Indian landlord Mr. G). The end is predictable, but still, it’s wonderful to see Dennis rise to the occasion, fall back in disappointments and rise again with new energy. Originally his excuse for disappearing was, “Spoiling your day was better than ruining your life,” due to a sense of inferiority and immaturity. Naturally, asshole Gordon has to be an American from Chicago. The soundtrack keeps a fast pace with lots of pop songs, old and new. This could almost be a real family film with its message: solve problems, don’t run, but it’s recommended for 13 and older due to the swearing and sexual innuendos.

 

© Kinowelt Filmverleih GmbHShine a Light * * * *

(Birgit S) Opening April 3, 2008

What hype, what raw energy! These four veteran rockers don’t do anything by half measure. Even if you are not a staunch fan of the Rolling Stones you have to admire their performing skills and sheer stamina and endurance.

The Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese starts his film Shine a Light with the concert preparations, shooting in black and white. The Clinton family appear briefly, and it is Keith Richards who greets Hillary Clinton’s mother with a casual, “Hello Dorothy,” before the start of the show. The whole filming took place during two Rolling Stones benefit concerts for the Clinton Foundation at the Beacon Theatre, N.Y., in the autumn of 2006.

Supervised by experienced cinematographer Robert Richardson (Oscars: The Aviator, JFK) an extraordinary team of experts captured every move with their 26 cameras, resulting in fascinating close-ups of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood in action. It is uplifting to see that age does not stop them from engaging in strenuous live performances, to witness their passion and total dedication to their music, engaging in what they love best. Martin Scorsese has interspersed the show with a few clips of ancient interviews, of which the one is particularly amusing, when a very youthful, sweet-looking Mick Jagger is asked if he could imagine doing rock concerts when he is 60, and his reply is a leisurely, “Yeah, easily”. Well done; he now is 63 (at the time of the filmed concert) and seems as fit as a fiddle, jumping up and down the stage at a breathtaking speed.

This is mostly a Mick Jagger show. Mick Jagger’s presence is almost too overwhelming, and it is a pleasure to welcome his special guest artists, blues-man Buddy Guy, who sings a wonderfully moving duet with him, followed by Jack White of the White Stripes. When Christina Aguilera takes the stage, it is a delight to listen to her full-blooded performance. Mick Jagger, joining her in duet, takes the opportunity of showing off his erotic choreography (I am sure he is young at heart, but Aguilera was sexy enough on her own). 

The film Shine a Light has been categorised as a documentary, but it is really a “music film”, an invigorating musical trip down memory lane and a celebration of the band’s greatest songs and their durability. The group was formed in London in 1962 – it is a document of a band that has influenced rock music for over four decades. What an impressive show.

 

© Pandora Filmverleih `A Thousand Years of Good Prayers (Mr. Shi und der Gesang der Zikaden) * * * *

(Becky T) Opening April 10, 2008

Mr. Shi travels from China to visit his daughter Yilan in Spokane, Washington. They have had little contact over the years, but Mr. Shi senses a state of emergency when he hears that Yilan has divorced her Chinese husband. Now, Yilan lives alone, has a profession, and dates a married man from Russia. She is less than eager to welcome her father and finally tries to avoid him all together. Mr. Shi becomes acquainted with the American way of life, although his best friend is an Iranian immigrant woman his own age, who proudly reports that her son is a doctor with a big house and a big car who has brought her to the U.S.

Director Wayne Wang has made a slow-paced, but never boring, film, based on a short story of the same name by Yiyun Li. Any expatriate can relate to the film’s sense of speechlessness in a foreign environment and any human being can relate to the sense of loneliness due to lack of communication. Yilan says, “You don’t understand, Papa. If you never learned to express your feelings in your native tongue, then it’s easier in a new language. One turns into a different person.” In this case, the Chinese respect for elders also prevents Yilan from speaking her true mind, but in the end, both reveal secrets of their lives and eventually come together. An Iranian cinematographer, who saw the film with me, said it was typical of Iranians who move abroad to emphasize the material aspects of their new lives. Wang films with Chinese actors, but also with amateurs such as the girl at the swimming pool who really was looking for a job, a manager of the apartments who really was a former CIA agent, and real Mormons who visited the house. The knife in the antique shop really was used by General Custer in his last battle. I saw the film in Mandarin, Farsi, and English, which effectively emphasized the differences in communication. Wang has a wide range of film topics, e.g., Manhattan Love Story, Smoke, or Eat a Bowl of Tea, and this is definitely a successful addition to his oeuvre.

 

© PolybandSharkwater * * * *

(Becky T) Opening April 10, 2008

Canadian photographer and director Rob Stewart documents the worldwide demise of sharks. He effectively makes his case that sharks have been on earth more than 400,000 years, longer than dinosaurs and much longer than humans. But there is no lobby to save these shy animals, contrary to pandas, elephants, tigers or even crocodiles. Dramatic headlines about tourists dying on the beaches of Florida and successful movies like Jaws give the impression that sharks are ferocious and deserve to die. In reality, five people die annually from shark bites compared to 100 from elephants or tigers. As a result, 90% of the shark population is already extinct. This trend can seriously influence the balance of life in the seas. Sharks feed on small fish which eat plankton. Plankton changes carbon dioxide to life-giving oxygen. An uncontrolled destruction of plankton will affect mankind’s existence.

Many of the remaining sharks live near Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. Here fishermen use the long-line technique, feeding out into the sea mile-long lines of hooks. Indiscriminately, they haul in whatever is hanging on the hooks. In the case of sharks, they cut off the fins (called shark finning) and throw the whole fish back to die. Especially the Chinese pay high prices – here Taiwan was mentioned – for fins and put great faith in the special healing powers of shark fin soup.

Stewart joins the ship of Captain Paul Watson, co-founder of Greenpeace and founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, as it attempts to drive fishermen away from Costa Rica. Dr. Erich Ritter of the University of Zurich and Boris Worm, Dalhousie University in Halifax, add their opinions as do others. Now, sixteen countries forbid shark finning. The experts repeat that no social changes such as the abolition of slavery or voting rights for women ever originated with a government. It’s up to the individual to make a change.

The underwater photography is outstanding. Stewart literally swims with the sharks without fear. If I had one teeny complaint it would be that Stewart puts himself into the limelight too often. He lets others photograph him taking photos and swimming in his little bikini briefs. Don’t get me wrong, he is a beautiful person who could be a star in his own right. He just doesn’t need to star in this film, when it is so necessary to put the emphasis where it belongs: on protection of the remaining shark population. See also www.seashepherd.org or www.sharktrust.org.

 

© Falcom/24 Bilder Chiko * * * *

(Shelly S) Opening April 17, 2008

Being born in an underprivileged district in Hamburg in 1979 gave director Özgur Yildirim a realistic insight to the hard facts of street life. Since writing his first book at age 14 and completing several short films, Yildrim has completed one of his dreams: a feature film. Fatih Akin was immediately intrigued by this script after reading it and signed on as the producer. At the press conference Yildirim, who had seen a lot of old gangster films, said the script was easy to write since he copied the language that he heard on the streets.

In the film, Yildirim gives us two very different faces: one is Chiko (Denis Moschitto), who is young and intelligent and wants respect, which will bring him money and power. His plan is simple, gain the trust of the top dog Brownie (Mortitz Bleibtreu) and respect is granted. Unfortunately, Chiko’s best friend Tibet (Volcan Özcan), a former drug user, wants money but is an unstable character and takes short cuts. He lacks the understanding for the business world, which comes naturally to Chiko. Brownie warns Chiko that Tibet will bring him down but what can he do? They are like brothers.

The most difficult role in this film starred Reyhan “Lady Bitch Ray” Sahin who plays a Turkish prostitute. She is a well-known rap singer and when asked to do this film she had to think twice about it. “When you do a film like this coming from a Turkish background, you will be stigmatized in the Turkish community and in the German community.” She knew that she would be breaking down walls for Turkish women’s roles so they have a chance to develop themselves. This is film is a fast-paced, violent gangster film that makes you realize once you get home that there are no police in this film, but did you miss them? This film definitely gives you a different face of Hamburg, probably one you did even knew existed.

 

© Universal Pictures International Germany GmbHFleisch ist mein Gemüse * * * *

(Becky T) Opening April 17, 2008

Based on an autobiography of the same name, the story tells of Heinz Strunk’s early years in Hamburg-Harburg as a saxophone player in the band Tiffany. The group played pop music for local weddings and parties (e.g., for the Schützenverein or rifle club). They dressed in glittery pink jackets; their band leader, named Gurki (Andreas Schmidt), chats up the audience with stuff like “swing time is good time, good time is better time.” Although eventually quite successful (book, musical, music company), Strunk bemoans his younger years. He suffered terrible acne, his mother (played by Susanne Lothar) suffered psychological illnesses and died; his neighbor committed suicide; he had no money, girlfriends, or car. He lived in a working class neighborhood in a small row house with the most terrible 1980’s wallpaper. Strunk appears in the film as himself to moderate but leaves the portrayal of the 25-year-old Strunk to new actor Maxim Mehmet. Germans obviously like the story, considering that 250,000 books were sold. As for the rest of us, those living in and around Hamburg will recognize villages such as Moorwerder and Neugraben and the grey, rainy, flat landscape. Perhaps we will even relate to the Germans in the film. I would recommend the film just for the pleasure of seeing Maxim Mehmet, who is a Boris-Becker-but-better-looking type. I predict that some day he will be equally famous, although at the moment, Google brings up absolutely nothing except his year of birth: 1975, and he really can play the saxophone.

 

© farbfilm-verleih/barnsteiner-film Khadak * * * * 1/2

(Birgit S) Opening April 17, 2008

An icy wind howls over the Mongolian steppe, heavy mist dips the snow-capped hills into an eerie milky-white colour. Inside the comfortably heated round yurt two old men drink to each other’s health. Bagi (Batzul Khayankhyarvaa), the 17-year-old teenager who lives there with his mother and grandfather (Damchaa Banzar), is herding the sheep home. When one sheep is missing, he gallops out into the wilderness to find the half-dead creature. The sheep recovers, but Bagi is struck down, lying motionless on his bed for days. The witch (Tserendarizv Dashnyam) enters the hut, a respected shaman woman who utters frightening screams and groans and vigorously hits Bagi’s “lifeless” body. After he has come alive again, she urges him to work with her as he has the rare gift of “seeing” things and hearing animals from far distances. He should not deny his fate. Bagi resolutely dismisses her as he does not think that this is his destiny in life.

Soon after, a convoy of military jeeps arrives, disgorging men in white overalls with surgical masks covering their faces, stomping around the hut. The commander rudely shouts orders that all animals are to be collected and taken away to be slaughtered. An unknown disease has hit the area and everybody is going to be evacuated to the nearby mine town. Shock, confusion, and helplessness follows. The only one not stirring is grandfather, undisturbed by the commotion around him. He has to be picked up, still sitting on his stool, and carried to the truck joining the other unfortunate nomads to be resettled in run-down shabby high rises. The young ones are needed in the coal mine, leaving the old folks to succumb to depression. 

Bagi, now driving his motorcycle as a postman, has his “sightings” again – combined with an epileptic seizure, according to the doctor. It is more than that: he can hear herds of animals, hidden in a shed, and he mobilises his comrades to free them (shown with a glorious fairy-tale idea of “freezing” the baddies). He can hear a young girl suffocating under a heap of coal and rescues her. Again the shaman is present, in touch with his soul which is travelling along the water ducts through town. At this point I am losing the thread of the story as is it gets even more mystical and confusing. That does not seem to matter very much – I read afterward in an interview with director Jessica Woodworth – as “the audience does not have to take all these images literally”. Well, I am glad to know. I enjoyed the film, often wide-eyed with fascination of yet another unusual visual experience and sounds. I liked the abstract ideas put on film (like the tree hanging upside down or holy blue ribbons – the “Khadak” – raining from the sky). But then, I also like the paintings by René Magritte.

It is a very beautiful movie with amazing and innovative camera work, filmed with great respect for the fantasy world and mystical, symbolic images and beliefs which apparently are still an integral part of life for the Mongolian nomadic people. At the same time, the film also touches on the theme of forced evacuation, displacement and eradication of a whole culture.

After thorough research, the script was written by the two directors, Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth. With Khadak they won prizes at the Toronto Film Festival, the International Film Festival Bratislava, and the “Lion of the Future” newcomer prize at Venice 2006.

 

© NEUE VISIONEN Filmverleih GmbHSieben Mulden und eine Leiche * * * *

(Shelly S) Opening April 17, 2008

Have you ever stood in a room full of stuff, not knowing where to begin? It can be psychologically depressing, especially if you have to clean out the house of a deceased relative. This documentary describes two brothers who are notified by the police that their mother has died and they are responsible for the clean up. The local police department hands over the keys and the film really takes off. They must hire someone special to remove the remains of the body. What did that mean exactly? As they enter the flat, they are confronted with an overwhelming smell. They find that, although the actual body has been removed, there is still bio-sewage attached to the floor since she had lain there quite a long time before being found. At this moment it is clear that her sons did not have a close relationship to their mother but through this process will get to know her better. The house is full to the brim and in such disorder that it is incredibly disturbing, not to mention the starving cats.

The word “stress” takes on new meaning as they interview several companies to remove the remains and deodorize the apartment. It was extremely difficult, but they finally found a professional and when they asked, “How many times have you done this?” the man’s reply: “It’s my first.” The process of cleaning the house took one solid month, day and night. The title is appropriate since they fill seven giant containers. The documentary is done with a black sense of humor while revealing the life that this woman had led. The two brothers were not close to her but through all the documents, photos and films learn more about her than when she was alive. They also learn about their father, their social life, the bitter divorce, their grandmother and her life during the war. The film was done in an art form, which helped them through a grieving process which forced them to look at their own history which must have been painful.

What actually struck me about this film was that it also reflects my own life. Although I am close to my parents, I see that they are collectors as well and wonder, as they age, will their collections get out of hand? Will I be faced with several large containers in front of the house? In this film the brothers determine that it is genetic, but I hope that isn’t the case because if it is, I have a lot of work cut out for me in the future. The film made such a strong impression, that, while visiting my parents, I decided to help clean out my mother’s bathroom and medicine cabinet and the kitchen and office of my father. Well see how long it stays that way.

 

© Twentieth Century Fox of Germany GmbHStreet Kings * * * *

(Rita P S) Opening April 17, 2008

Directed by David Ayer with Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie

Life is hard for cops struggling to stay afloat, between what we read in the papers and what really happens in the streets in LA. But unlike the lovely surroundings, rotten glamour and wounded love in L.A. Confidential, there is no reprieve in Street Kings. Not even a dame. Cops in L.A. get paid almost nothing to keep ever-growing criminal scum from turning L.A. into just another narco democracy, but they are the only ones out there holding the line, on their terms. Sometimes cops like Tom Ludlow (Reeves) are walking killing machines, just doing their job because it’s the only thing keeping them alive. Other cops, like Captain Jack Wander (Whitaker), keep everyone’s ghosts under tabs and collect chits for the big payout. And finally, other cops just live off of everyone else’s innocence, like Captain James Biggs (Laurie). It was a pleasure to watch a somnambulant and puffy-faced Keanu Reeves struggle with morality, mortality and greed. Forest Whitaker lit up the screen as Captain Wander, alternating his psychosis to reward, punish or protect his protégé Tom Ludlow. And Hugh Laurie was a surprise as the normal looking, lying bottom feeder. If this is not enough of a recommendation, then remember James Ellroy also wrote the story and screenplay. Need I say more to lovers of film noir?

 

© Flying Moon Filmproduktion/Zorro Film Football under Cover * * * *

(Thelma F) Opening April 24, 2008

This German documentary records how a girls' soccer team from Berlin (BSV Al-Dersimpoor) dreams, plans and realizes a trip to Iran to compete against the Iranian national women's team. The film spans the course of a year during which the Kreuzberg team faces numerous obstacles with the Iranian government. In the end though, we view the actual game attended by a thousand cheering women spectators. It is an atmosphere of women's lib in spite of the totally men's world outside the stadium. Besides soccer practices and Ayat's and Marlene's initial organizational trip to Teheran, we see some good coverage of the young women on a personal level – even one of the Iranian players who, unfortunately, wasn't chosen to play in the big game. It is very exciting even if you don't know much about soccer.

Directors Ayat Najafi and David Assmann made the film based on team member Marlene Assmann's idea.  The game would never have happened without the film since Marlene and Ayat used the film to put pressure on the authorities. It is a glimpse into an Iran we don't see on the TV news!

 

© Kinowelt Filmverleih GmbHLauf um dein Leben – Vom Junkie zum Ironman * * * *

(Becky T) Opening April 24, 2008

This is based on a true story about German Andreas Niedrig in the mid ‘90s. He was a loser who hung out with his buddies, going nowhere, drinking, shooting up drugs and dealing. His wife quickly became fed up and left him, taking their small daughter. Soon he hit rock bottom, and the only light in so much darkness was the memory of a former coach who had believed in him in earlier, better days. He begins to take charge of his future and convinces the coach to trust in him one more time. Through intensive sport he overcomes his drug habit and works his way into an important Ironman competition. This is definitely not for sissies. The Ironman Triathlon occurs each fall in Hawaii, and athletes must excel in swimming, biking, and running, all in one fell swoop for more than eight hours. Niedrig surprises everyone, being an unknown German among the best. With Max Riemelt as Niedrig and Uwe Ochsenknecht as the coach, director Adnan G. Köse has made a docudrama based on a real life which is interesting and inspirational enough, but I would have liked to have learned more about his sport and training and less about his junkie days.

 

© Twentieth Century Fox of Germany GmbHThe Savages (Die Geschwister Savage) * * * * 1/2

(Kirstan B) Opening April 24, 2008

The candy-coated retirement villages of Arizona may appear to be a viable solution to a surging population of elderly Americans, but it cannot hide the reality of prevalent issues of dementia. Lenny Savage (Philip Bosco) is an aging senior who has been sharing his retirement years with live-in partner Doris, who has round the clock hospice care as she stares vacantly into space. Although Lenny isn’t quite as oblivious as Doris, the opening scene of The Savages reveals that he’s slipping in the same direction as he frustratingly smears profanity written with his own excrement on the bathroom wall after being patronized by a care-worker. When Doris passes away, Lenny’s two adult children must find a new home for their father. The weight of inconvenience for Wendy (Laura Linney) and Jon Savage (Philip Seymour Hoffmann) to postpone their lives and travel to Arizona to deal with their cranky father’s care is obvious as it becomes apparent that the Savages are not a close-knit happy family. On the contrary, it appears that this is an unsavory set of circumstances for everyone.

Jon and Wendy are deeply embedded in their own neuroses and dramas of mundane lives, with little choice but to come together and find a place to dump dear old Dad. Wendy seeks an optimistic outcome by applying for a high-end assisted-living center; Jon is the realist as he checks his father in to a dreary local nursing home. Thus begins the journey of two grown siblings who evolve individually through the shared responsibility of caring for a father that needs their love without the capacity or desire to love his own children in return.

Director/writer Tamara Jenkins has created a scenario perhaps all too familiar for millions of families dealing with the fallout of mind-degenerating disease and has cast the most brilliant actors to convey a fine message: they are us and we are them. Linney nails the part of younger sister as she struggles for brotherly approval and personal growth, stalled in a dead-end affair and stunted career as a hopeful playwright. Seymour Hoffman shines once again as he wears Jon Savage like a second skin; an ambivalent professor who cannot make a commitment professionally or personally. Bosco has the right balance of confusion, anger, frustration and ennui as he gives you reason to care about Lenny despite the fact that he really doesn’t deserve your empathy. Stellar performances from all three, threaded with layers of humor and hearty family weight, shoot this film to award-level consideration.

The Savages is not a happy movie, and although the denouement gives you a certain sense of promise for Jon and Wendy, it isn’t a good vehicle for a “resounding hope” ending. I found myself depressed for a long while afterwards and so knocked a star off the top: dementia isn’t entertainment, however accurately portrayed.

 

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