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The Squid & The
Whale
Movies about the lives
of writers always make for interesting and conversational pieces of
entertainment. And this offering is just the same, and even more so.
It's not about a battle between two sea creatures, but it is about a battle between a man and wife, who early on in the film separate, which has many effects on their two sons and turns everybody's lives upside down.
Joan and Bernard (played by Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels) are both New York writers of varying success. They have two sons, each of whom seems to favour one parent over the other. They're not your usual family. Their topics of discussions revolve mainly around books, and they speak as writers, dissecting every thing from all angles and never agreeing on anything as a whole family.
When the parents let the boys know they are separating, the joint custody begins and this affects the boys a lot. The parents just seem to get on with it as adults do - they both quickly find new partners to satisfy their needs. But the characters who go through the real transitions here are the two boys, one 17 the other 13. They begin to become curious about sex, relationships, and masturbation.
It's a unique film and as it only runs for just over 70 minutes it still manages to fit a lot in. The script (which was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year) is witty, intelligent and multi-layered. The dialogue is sharp and snappy and the actors do a great job. Jeff Daniels was great as usual, but I felt Laura Linney was a little underused. She is a fine actress, but her character this time seemed to be very withdrawn and her performance was sort of one note.
And what does the title have to do with it all? Well, that comes to make sense at the end of the film, but you can spot the references throughout the entire movie. We are dealing with two strong figures who can sometimes get along, but at other times will attack each others position and egos. They are both caring parents, but in the end it's clear that they put themselves first.
I guess that's how a squid and a whale would live their lives....?
It's not about a battle between two sea creatures, but it is about a battle between a man and wife, who early on in the film separate, which has many effects on their two sons and turns everybody's lives upside down.
Joan and Bernard (played by Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels) are both New York writers of varying success. They have two sons, each of whom seems to favour one parent over the other. They're not your usual family. Their topics of discussions revolve mainly around books, and they speak as writers, dissecting every thing from all angles and never agreeing on anything as a whole family.
When the parents let the boys know they are separating, the joint custody begins and this affects the boys a lot. The parents just seem to get on with it as adults do - they both quickly find new partners to satisfy their needs. But the characters who go through the real transitions here are the two boys, one 17 the other 13. They begin to become curious about sex, relationships, and masturbation.
It's a unique film and as it only runs for just over 70 minutes it still manages to fit a lot in. The script (which was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year) is witty, intelligent and multi-layered. The dialogue is sharp and snappy and the actors do a great job. Jeff Daniels was great as usual, but I felt Laura Linney was a little underused. She is a fine actress, but her character this time seemed to be very withdrawn and her performance was sort of one note.
And what does the title have to do with it all? Well, that comes to make sense at the end of the film, but you can spot the references throughout the entire movie. We are dealing with two strong figures who can sometimes get along, but at other times will attack each others position and egos. They are both caring parents, but in the end it's clear that they put themselves first.
I guess that's how a squid and a whale would live their lives....?
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