Joint custody blows.
Set in Brooklyn in 1986, The Squid and the Whale captures with extraordinary immediacy the inner workings of the Berkmans. Bernard (Jeff Daniels), a once successful novelist and Joan (Laura Linney), have given up on their marriage, leaving their two sons Walt (Jesse Eisenberg), 16, and Frank (Owen Kline), 12, to grapple with what has become of the family.
The film is a tender, funny, excruciating, perilous and ultimately moving coming-of-age for Walt and a tortuously premature one for Frank. The emotional tensions and strains that emerge during this difficult period for the Berkman family are given a subtle and nuanced portrayal. This is a film that deftly presents the realities of a family in transition learning to redefine itself.
Based on the childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach.
Special Agent Matti
*
MA 15+ (Strong sexual references, strong coarse language)
77 minutes (1:17 hours)
Film: 13 April 2006
