The Squid And The Whale

Dysfunctional, disintegrating American households have been a constant source of inspiration for film-makers. To turn this inspiration into something more meaningful though, requires much more than just the drama involving a crumbling family. "The Squid And The Whale", in my opinion, is right up there with personal favorites like "American Beauty" in the genre.

The 81 minute story is set in the idyllic context of Park Slope, Brooklyn (1986). The first thing that struck me about this film is that it is extremely real. There's nothing artificial about the movie's characters. In fact, for the most part, it doesn't seem as though the characters have been brought together externally. Instead, it appears as though the characters naturally fell in place, and their story evolved.

Each character of this film is interesting in his or her own right, and I loved the way their development is carefully nuanced through the film. It's heartening to see that the plot does not seek any kind of a moral conditioning on it's characters. Neither does it look to tie up loose ends by the film's conclusion. In that sense, there is no final denouement. Instead, the film offers an impartial slice from the life of a family that is falling through the cracks.

The plot in a nutshell is: A well established, self-obsessed writer (Bernard), whose mid-life crisis is manifesting itself as an artistic draught lives with his family in Park Slope, Brooklyn. His wife (Joan), also a Ph.D. in literature is an aspiring writer, who is just beginning to receive recognition for her writing. Walt (an indecisive / unsure about himself teen) and Frank (nine something years old) are their two children. It is the children who are the victims of their parent's decision to separate, and both of them (particularly Frank) fall prey to some sardonic and sinister nihilism as the family starts to fall apart.