Saturday, August 16, 2008

Super Cinema Saturday ~ The Savages


My Review:

Awkward coming of age drama with moments of humor that lighten things up to the point that the emotion is tolerable. Coming of age, literally, as a brother and sister in their middle years are forced to come to terms with the dysfunction in their own issues when their estranged father's life drastically changes at the onset of Parkinson's disease.


This is not a light movie. Heavy, heavy themes that lay out life in all it's grittiness and the complexity of human relationships in all of the quirks, masks and coping mechanisms. Poignant to the point that it was almost depressing, but it is filled with a raw kind of beauty and a lot of truth. A deeply character driven film, desperate, raw in several spots. Squeamish viewers may not do well with a couple of sex scenes and an adulterous relationship as well as some coarse language. The end is hopeful. Great acting. Those who love heavy dramas and character pieces might want to take a deeper look at The Savages.