Beautifully written and performed with a lot to admire, Paul Dano’s first attempt behind the camera is sadly somewhat dull.
It’s all text book stuff – the disintegration of a marriage as seen from the perspective of their young teenage son. Jake Gyllenhaal is something of a dreamer, with long-suffering Carey Mulligan trying to make the best of things as they move from house to house, state to state. Ed Oxenbould looks on, bemused.
Static camerawork with an emphasis on 1960s mundane, the nuanced performances (particularly Mulligan) add weight to a minor drama that needed a little more emotional gravitas to help make a connection with its audience.
Rating: 54%
Director: Paul Dano
Writer: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks) – based on the book by Richard Ford
Main cast: Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain, Nightcrawler), Carey Mulligan (An Education, Suffragette), Ed Oxenbould (The Visit, Paper Planes)
An Opinion or Two 