The Squid and the Whale - Noam Baumbach

Maybe my bias lies with the incessant need for character development, but did this film actually exist? I had high hopes, read the reviews, and was left with nothing at the end. Was it Baumbach's goal to relate his own family dilemnas as a form of unemotional pastiche? Having never had parents that have divorced or ensued in a vicious custody battle, I suppose the director wishes to add a little conjecture to the mix. One of the aspects that I really enjoyed was the bluntness and subtetly of the lines from some of the characters, especially Bernard (Jeff Daniels) and his older son whose mother calls him 'Chicken.' I was alarmed by the length of the film (family dramas are usually at least two hours), yet I agree with the director's intention (if that is what it is of course!); it is best for the audience to remain as detached from the characters as the director apparently is, allowing for a slightly more objective view, perhaps even a bird's eye view. The underlying story of the sexual development and curiosity of the two boys is put to the front of the less obvious and apparent sexual libido of their parents, and this aspect of the film works (although a little alarming at times!), yet one cannot but feel that their is something more in the distance and maybe Baumbach intended it that way.