People are compli-cated. And different. This movie is a New York movie on one level--it is set there, and the issues related to apartment living and space scream city living. But there is so much more to this movie.
There are five main characters. Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt are Kate and Alex. They have an affable relationship, and in addition to their marriage and their teenage daughter, they have a business together. Their neighbor, Andra, is 90 years old and has two granddaughters, Mary (Amanda Peet) and Rebecca (Rebecca Hall). The story that connects them is that Kate and Alex have bought Andra's apartment, but she can live there until she dies--so they are connected, but in a weird way.
The granddaughters have two different world views--Rebecca is quiet and sweet and unsure of herself, and Mary is brassy and beautiful and trouble.
The underlying themes are trying to balance between what you want, how far to go to get it, and how much of an effort it is to be a nice person. The story resonates long after the movie is over, and the subtext is subtly woven in amongst the text, so that it is easy to see how the characters fall into the pitfalls that are presented to them.
A lot goes unsaid, but as the viewer, we get it. Wonderful movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment