#59 - The Squid and the Whale (2005)

The sole reason I watched this film was to just get it over with. A friend of mine recommended it and for a while he kept asking me if I had seen it already. "Maybe later." He eventually forgot it and so did I. Until today, when I decided to give it a shot. The film is nothing special, really, but I personally enjoyed it.

One of the first films I ticked off the list was Kramer vs. Kramer (actually it was the 12th... whatever), a movie about a recently divorced couple and how they handle their situation and the child support and all that.   The premise in the Squid and the Whale is similar: both parents get a divorce, but instead of fighting over the custody of the kids, the kids take sides by themselves, leading to a lot of conflictive situations. While the overall tone of Kramer vs. Kramer was lighthearted and optimistic, the Squid and the Whale takes a more realistic, bitter approach. It may get out of hand, or get a little too sex heavy, but it's a pretty realistic depiction of a divorce and the effect it has on the family.

    

Some parts are pretty exaggerated, though. The young sibling getting drunk and passing out comes to mind.

There movie as a very distinct indie flavor, particularly the characters. Except for the younger brother, every member of the family has this hipster-like artistic taste. The father (Jeff Daniels) is a novelist whose career has declined recently; he is extremely arrogant, you know, the kind of guy that thinks he is intellectually superior than the rest but comes out as an asshole. The mother is also an author whose recently published work is more successful than that of her husband, which just adds up to the tension. Oh, and she has also been cheating on him. More than once.

Jesse Eisenberg plays the 16 year old Walt, who sides up with the father, sharing his taste for, uh, hipstery vintage stuff, and plays the guitar quite well. His brother Frank (Owen Kline) sides up with the mother and starts doing stuff kids at that age usually do when facing a divorce. Jacking off at school and drinking beer. Yeah, it was quite disturbing. Walt is the protagonist here and the most developed and interesting character, but the overall amount of attention on every member of the family is very well balanced. And there's plenty of other supporting characters, too. Summing up, it has plenty to offer as a character-driven film.

    

Anna Paquin stands out as the father's (slutty) girlfriend, among others.

Like I said, the Squid and the Whale is not a film that particularly stands out to me. It has nice characters and the theme of divorce and family conflicts is well played. It's a good film and I enjoyed it, but it's pretty forgettable.