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The Squid and the Whale
Excellent portrait of a family's divorce and the relationships between the two adults and children involved.
While there's certainly some uncomfortable and cringe inducing moments, there's humour and comic absurdity too. I loved the scenes between the older son and his girlfriend. It's hard enough being a clueless teenager trying to figure out how to have a relationship. Having lousy role models as parents on top of that, is the icing on the cake.
I'm curious how a viewer who has gone through a family break-up would experience the movie. The unblinking and naturalistic tone could be very difficult to watch if you see yourself too strongly in these characters. Apparently, the film is somewhat autobiographical of the director, Noah Baumbach. I'm fortunate not to have been through the same ringer as these people, so perhaps I was able to enjoy it more from a safe perspective.
Special Features: Definitely watch the interview of Noah Baumbach by Phillip Lopate. It's very insightful and I liked what he had to say about the Brooklyn setting.
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Building an artificial intelligence that appreciates Mozart is easy. Building an A.I. that appreciates a theme restaurant is the real challenge - Kit Roebuck - Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life
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