Never been able to relate to a film as i have this one

Rating: 10/10 (19 April 2006)

Its hard to believe that a 27 year old man could write a film which seems like it had been written by a writer who had a Kubrick like experience.
Before i watched garden state i was weary that it was going to be like "Lost in translation". A film i found boring and unfunny yet received much critical acclaim. But i was pleasantly surprised. There is no real basic plot to the movie but the foundations of it are that a B list actor called Andrew (Zach Braff) has come back from L.A to his home town in New Jersey for the first time in nearly a decade to attend his mothers funeral. Are first view on Andrew is that he is very depressed, so depressed that he doesn't even cry at his mothers funeral, and attends a party after it with his old school friends. At home things don't get much better for him as it is obvious he doesn't have a good relationship with his father, and Andrews stay seems pointless until at a doctors check up he meets Sam (Natalie Portman). Who is a hyperactive down to earth girl who has problems of her own. The pair hit it off straight away and soon they are over her house and she is meeting Andrews friends. As Andrews stay draws to an end his best friend says he is going to get him a going away present but they must have a little adventure to get it.
At the start of the film Andrew is shown having to take pills for his obvious illness. but uses this journey as a time to come of them and in meeting Sam and discussing his childhood involving his mother who was always depressed and how Sam changes his life in a few short days. This is were the film got me. On realising that i too have had to deal with depression in the family and seeing that the character Andrew is portraying is obvious that it has come from Zach Braffs own life and the personality is almost the same as my own. And just being able to see this mans short stay with his friends and newly found girlfriend really touched me in a way that no film has ever done.
The film does have a lot to its name. Comedy, relationship and drug issues and of course romance and friendship and a brilliant soundtrack. It truly is a thing of beauty but it does suffer from quite a hollow plot and an ending that i didn't rely like.