The Squid & The Whale
THE SQUID & THE WHALE (15)
D: Noah Baumbach
Columbia Tristar (Wes Anderson, Peter Newman, Clara Markowicz
& Charlie Corwin)
US 2005
81 mins
Comedy/Drama
W: Noah Baumbach
DP: Robert Yeoman
Ed: Tim Streeto
Mus: Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips
Jeff Daniels (Bernard), Laura
Linney (Joan), Jesse Eisenberg (Walt), Owen Kline (Frank), William Baldwin (Ivan), Anna Paquin (Lili), Halley Feiffer (Sophie)
The Squid & The Whale is a bittersweet coming-of-age tale
which also doubles up as a separation drama as well as a slice of 1980's nostalgia.
Jeff Daniels & Laura Linney take the leads as a New York
husband and wife who decide to separate and share custody of their two sons (Jesse Eisenberg & Owen Kline), who are having troubles of their own due to girlfriends, school, etc.
Noah Baumbach wrote the screenplay based on his own real-life
events, but makes changes with the quirky dialogue and well-rounded characters. Producer Wes Anderson was initially slated to direct, but took a step back to allow the screenwriter to helm the
reins himself. The two men do have similar filmmaking styles, so you'd be easily forgiven for thinking this wasn't the case.
Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney are both excellent in the lead
roles, while Jesse Eisenberg makes a strong breakthrough role in support.
7/10
