Behind the Ironic Column

Some movies I expect to be depressing just from their obvious subject matter.  Any movie about the experience of finding a nursing home or other care-giving establishment for an elderly relative is not designed to be a cheerful experience.  In many cases I wouldn’t even bother to go to such a film – after all, we can get enough of this in so-called real life.  There’s no need to go looking for a celluloid version. 

On the other hand, this particular movie has both Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney – two actors I greatly admire.  So I was more disposed toward seeing it than I would otherwise have been given the subject.  A friend who has gone through similar circumstances had seen it and said she thought it was well done. 

Interestingly, I did find it depressing but not for the reasons I expected.  The real sadness comes from the characters who are not living their dreams while they still can – rather than from the nursing home residents.  Being the eldest daughter and coming from a background where women typically take charge, I was also surprised to find the somewhat feckless brother being a much stronger and more practical character than the ostensibly more caring sister played by Linney.  There are funny moments, good moments, and moments of hope throughout the film and the not-to-be-escaped observation that we, as Americans, are very poor at this end of life care. 

The fadeout scenes  – brought on by the percocet which Wendy Savage has stolen from the medicine cabinet of a dead woman – are dreamy and almost surreal.  Both Wendy and Jon feel the need to take those painkillers in order to get through this process.   Their father, the source of much of their dissension, resorts to switching off his hearing aid while his children rant at each other.

I thought the final scene was too much – we didn’t need that in-your-face optimism.  There was enough gentle optimism in the preceding brother and sister scene.  It could have ended there.

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