What a Heavy Load These Demons Can Be

Rating: 10/10 (24 November 2014)

Bennett Miller's previous attempt at a bio picture resulted in at best a frustrating outcome. I could never see past the miscasting of Hoffman in the lead role. You couldn't stop seeing his commendable attempts at capturing the soul of the writer, but it didn't come near the wonderful portrayal by Jones in "Infamous". Miller has done an impeccable job getting his three leads to capture the essence of the two brothers and the man who came in between them, tried to buy, steal, or use their talents in order to fulfill a deep and desperate craving for recognition, love, and respect.
There are details that can probably enlighten us more about what was in the background of a man as mixed up as John du Pont. In my opinion, Carrell's portrayal makes it as real as possible. We can read the yearning for acceptance in his eyes, and his psychological baggage comes across in his facial expression shows loneliness, sadness, anger, frustration, and so much more. There is close attention to detail in the way each one of these characters move and walk, a simplicity in the way David and Mark move about. One wonders about how much Mark is capable of understanding about what is happening to and around him. He allows people in, responding to basic offering of love and support from his brother and John. Of course, each of these men have different motivations, and Mark eventually experiences confusion because he can't at times realize what is happening to him.
Du Pont needs some talented athletes/wrestlers who can help him get a gold medal to show his mother and the world he's able to achieve something "on his own". We all know he's learned from his mother to buy whatever he wants, and his response when he doesn't get it is not much different from a spoiled boy. That is what makes the resolution inevitable and very scary because we have seen it all before. There are going to be some tantrum episodes, and money can truly make them grow exponentially.
We see how du Pont reaches out to Mark, seduces him into believing he's got love and support, but he is unable to provide the same quality that his brother has been giving him for years. At this moment no one really understands what is going on, but we see there's a level of attraction between John and Mark. Is this physical? Is this a father/son bond? Is John just using Mark? When things don't go as expected, David is summoned, but there's no more trust between John and Mark, and Mark's professional future might be compromised. This will result in a negative outcome for all those involved because Mark, John, and David might never get what they really want.
There is a strong sense of doom and sadness permeating the narrative. Even the smiles and happy moments feel threatened by the darkness in John's world. What is remarkable is how well Carrell captures this man and all the ugliness that is part of his life, and how this becomes toxic to all of those involved. Vanessa Redgrave, who is one superb actress comes in a few key scenes and shows the magnitude of her influence on her son. He makes a reference to her manipulations in his early years to satisfy his basic needs, and with a couple of looks she gives him, we know that there is no way he will be ever be or get what he wants or needs in his life. She just won't allow it because she's just never going to accept him for what he is.
"Foxcatcher" is dark and powerful, real and involving because it shows three individuals who happen to share the same environment and somehow have a very difficult time connecting. In the perfect world, they should be able to reach for the stars, but the real world is not perfect, and they all succumb to the forces of the hell that surrounds them.