Spoilers ahead, be warned!
Two minutes in and I’m already loving it! It stars with the husband (Adam Driver) saying all the things he loves about the wife (Scarleth Johansson) and you can help but fall in love with the character already, she seems fun and lovable and you can tell why he fell in love in the first place. Then she gets to say all the reasons why she loves him. Now, if you’ve seen the trailer, you kind of know were the story is going; so the next seen may not be so shocking, but it cuts to it in such a way, that it takes you by surprise in a way (at least, took me aback a little), so the couple is separating right, and they are with this mediator and you get to see them and she looks not so lovable anymore and you kind of side with him (not that you should be picking sides or anything). Story goes along and I am deeply drawn in; the narrative has me hooked to the screen, I like that it feels “new” and even though I kind of know what the story is about; I don’t really see where it is going, I don’t see how this could possibly end, and that, I haven’t felt in a while with a movie.
And then Laura Dern happens, and guess what, she is the wife’s lawyer, and you just love her too, and at this point you kinda side with them, that whole scene it’s practically a monologue from Johansson and it is really good in it’s own way.
Then comes the family, the cast is great, all familiar faces, and they love the husband and at this point you are left wondering... why are they even getting a divorce? What could have possibly gone wrong? Are they just not a match at all? What happened?
And then he gets served. Andthe custody battle begins and you get see first hand that the mother always has the upper hand and the father get “dragged” because he is the father, but that’s something no one talks about, because girl power right?! (Insert not so satirical laugh)
And then the emotional turmoil. Things get awkward and the child comes to play and all the legal stuff is on the table, and you kind of think, she’s such a byotch! Poor guy, she is playing him, and sort has been all along? Or is he just so deep in his head he can’t see far his eye lids?..
And then come the tears. Probably my favorite scene in the entire film, the wife comes to the husbands apartment in LA, realizing that things went too far and tries to figure things out on their own when it’s clearly too late, they have a heated discussion and the husband breaks down, literally in tears. A very strong and emotional scene and a powerful performance by Driver.
In summary the film is love story; with multiple factors at play and it shows you how messy love is, humans relationships in general and how fucked up the legal system and society are. It shows you how messy divorces are and how maddening the whole affair can be.
The movie ends up with the the child reading what the mother wrote on that first session with the mediator, the husband hears him and comes to the room, realizes what his son is reading and starts to it himself. His chin starts to tremble, tears start to flood his eyes and then you can see the wife in the back and then it all comes full circle.
Over all the movie is a must watch, I was truly amazed at the way it was written, produced in general and the narrative and attention to detail in directing and photography were truly stunning. The performances were on another level, truly mind blowing, the amount of dialogue they have, the emotional display, the effortless way the story goes along, it was just truly well thought of and beautifully executed on all parts.
Get ready to shed some tears, get comfy and go watch it!
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