Directed by Noah Baumbach The Squid and the Whale is a film about a family who is going through some tough times due to a recent divorce. The father Bernard Berkman is a novelist who has been on a dry spell between his published books and is going through some tough times. His wide Joan has cheated on him before and has recently decided that they should get a divorce. This was a long time coming because Joan has been unhappy for a long time and finally decided it was time to part ways. Their two sons Walt and Frank are sat down and told the horrific news, they can’t even imagine what is going to happen to their lives. The parents setup days where they will spend the days with each other but one thing seems to be clear, neither of the kids like what is going on which is understandable. Soon Bernard is all moved out and has joint custody of the kids and things start to get a little more serious. Its clear to see that Walt is taking sides with his dad and Frank seems to like staying with his mother more. But both the parents are very stringent with their days with the kids and don’t want to compromise. Soon the kids start to act up and start losing focus in school and start to act out. Frank starts to drink beer and picks up some sexual habits as well as generates a very colorful vocabulary for a child of his age. Walt on the other had meets a girl and they are getting along easily in the beginning but things start to get a little hairy. He goes to party and almost has sex with this girl but they cat it short and decide to wait for a little while. Prior to this one of Bernard’s students moves in with him and they start to develop a sexual relationship. Things start to get a little confusing when we realize that Walt also has an attraction to this girl that lives with his dad. But things progress and Walt is playing a song that he supposably wrote in the talent show, which he wins $100 dollars for. But Things start to catch up with him and the school realizes the song is actually by Pink Floyd. On the other hand Frank is caught masturbating in the school and rubbing semen on another child’s locker. Tension is also building between Bernard and Joan as they try and figure out what is going on with their children. One thing is for sure though, things are not looking to good for this once seemingly sound family. Walts want to cut things off with him and Sophie, the girl he almost lost his virginity to must has some from Bernard because convinced him to try things with other girls. This came as a surprise to me because Bernard does not seem like the type of man to give that kind of advice. “There are a number of reasons Walt breaks up with Sophie—mostly obviously to live up to Bernard’s self-serving ideal of youthful sexual prowess, but also, perhaps, because he can’t stand Sophie knowing that he’s a work in progress” (Asch). This must have come from the fact that Bernard stayed faithful to a woman that betrayed him for another man. And the fact that he had the chance to be with other allegedly beautiful woman when his last book was released. But Walt starts seeing that his father was not in a good place to give advice about women when he sees a school shrink because he was suggested to by the school. Wants brother Frank is also going through a deeper character change, he starts out as a innocent little boy and picks up some strange habits. He starts drinking beer probably as a method of dealing with what is going on just as many adults resort to when they are faced with difficult problem. His interest in sexual activities perplexed me at first but then I started to believe that he was getting it from seeing his mother and his new lover. Both of these brothers turned into completely different people by the end of the film. Throughout the film I began to notice that the camera always stayed close to the people of interest. Whenever there was a scene that was important the camera would stay close to the faces of the person at bay. I think this was done to really get into the actors role and feel what they were feeling because this film involves a lot of emotion and character difficulties as well as character progression. “Cinematographer Robert Yeoman stays close to the characters—a necessary visual strategy for a relatively shoestring 80s-set period piece that couldn’t clear Park Slope’s streets of contemporary cars (there are no establishing shots in The Squid at the Whale, as there would be none in Margot at the Wedding)” (Asch). This was really important to do because you feel entrapped in the film, as if you’re apart of the film. Almost as if you’re in the room with the actors, which was a great feat to achieve. I think this film was a good way to achieve and show off what can be done with good actors and great talent. All the small details begin to add up to a bigger picture which is obviously a great deal. The way that the scenes and difficulties were presented within were extremely relatable to many viewers that actually have had to deal with a separation of parents, and I think that is what brings together a great film. Nearly, all of the characters that started in this film went through some sort of change that affected them on an emotional level.
2 Comments
Emma Novotny
5/15/2017 09:06:02 pm
I like how you mentioned the attention to the character of interest, and how the camera focus really directs the viewer. Camera positioning is SO crucial! I totally agree.
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Caitlyn Zientara
5/17/2017 11:58:19 am
I thought it was interesting when you said that Walt's strange sexual behavior was due to witnessing his mother and Ivan's relationship grow. I'm not sure what I thought it was, I'm still not sure, but that was a different perspective I wouldn't have thought of. I also liked that you said the boys turned into completely different people by the end of the film, I agree, I think they all changed pretty drastically!
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AuthorI normally only watch comedies and action movies so this should be an interesting change. Archives
May 2017
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