the squid and the whale

ok, i realized i don't ever do movie reviews, but this one has had me thinking. i love watching movies and i really enjoy watching critically acclaimed movies. such was the reason for popping this one on the netflix queue. disclaimer: if you don't like them there swear words or watching a 10-year old saying them there swear words (among other things he does...), this movie is not for you. secondary disclaimer: spoilers below.

the first thing I screamed at the tv when the credits came on was "NO! WHAT A HORRIBLE ENDING!!!!" however, as I ruminate on the film, i realize that if any sort of definite resolution came at the end then it would ruin the entire point of the movie. divorce is not pretty, easy, or black-and-white. it's quite obvious that the divorce did not come to happen simply because the wife had an affair. however, the husband was insufferable and could be said to have driven her to the point of having an affair. however, she's still responsible for her actions.

the children are not as simple of characters as "the older likes the dad and the younger likes the mom". the younger seems completely confused by all the goings on of divorce and joint custody, and exudes the anger of his father while hating any external similarities to his father. the older thinks he wants to be just like his father, but in the end realizes he's only been happiest when he was close to his mother without his father in the picture. in the final scene, i realize he is seeking to find normalcy in his ex-girlfriend's family and a return to happiness in the museum that was the site of his happiest memory.

the movie is about the depth of the characters and is not meant to resolve. if there was some grand happy ending, it would not be true to life or, especially, true to the film. as a child of divorce, i can appreciate that.