- Directed & Written by Noah Baumbach
- Rated R for strong sexual content, graphic dialogue and language.
- Awards - lots of nominations and wins in multiple categories
- Keep an eye out for Anna Paquin - Rogue from the X-Men films
- Jeff Daniels gives an excellent performance, especially compared to his recent films
The Squid and the Whale definitely falls into the category of "indie film." It's a relatively dark movie about two brothers, a preteen and teen, who are dealing wit
h their parents decision to divorce. Both parents are writers, leading the film down the "artsy" path. The father is a wash-up; a top-selling author turned professor, with a major victim complex. The mother has recently "discovered her voice," publishing a book and even landing an excerpt in the New Yorker, and also has frequent unconcealed affairs. Walt, the older son, views his father as a god among writers, the all-knowing. He so respects his father's opinions that he never reads any literature; he merely memorizes his father's commentary. He blindly conforms to his father's ideals through most of the movie...we finally see the root issue towards the end. Frank, the younger son, willingly accepts the title "Philistine" - a person his father describes as uninterested in the arts, especially literature and film. Frank wants to be a tennis pro. He also despises the fact that he has his father's bone structure.
The Squid and the Whale is true to form for "artsy" movies in that it provides no clear solution/ending; however, it leaves you satisfied enough. The movie is dark, mostly as a result of the way the parents manipulate their children, however we see a glimmer of hope towards the end.
And I guess if we're going to pull one important lesson from the movie, it would be the tagline: Joint custody blows.
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