masterful story telling and acting

Rating: 9/10 (6 December 2019)

Greetings again from the darkness. Nicole has already made her decision. The film opens with her and husband Charlie in a therapy session. They are listing traits they admire about the other person. Watching this, we are unsure if the therapist thinks this exercise might salvage a broken marriage, or if it's some cruel way of highlighting what is being lost. This is writer-director Noah Baumbach's most gut-wrenching film to date, and it's based, at least partially, on his split from wife Jennifer Jason Leigh. Writing about personal experience is nothing new for Baumbach, as THE SQUID AND THE WHALE was inspired by his parents' divorce.
Charlie (Adam Driver) is an up-and-coming theatre director in New York City, and wife Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) is the company's lead actor. When Nicole informs Charlie that she wants a divorce, and is headed back home to Los Angeles to be with family and resume her TV acting career, he is stunned. She explains that her dreams and ambitions have been stifled by focusing on his career, and despite her numerous attempts to discuss this, he has never bothered to take her seriously. Oh, and she's taking their young son Henry (Azhy Robertson) with her.
What follows is a masterclass in writing, acting, directing, editing, and human nature. We watch as Nicole builds the foundation of her new life, while Charlie is staggered - not so much in denial, as disbelief. Their initial course of an amicable split, equitable division of belongings, and shared/split custody of Henry is abruptly altered when Nicole takes counsel from powerhouse LA divorce attorney Nora Fanshaw. Complicating matters is the bi-coastal nature of the divorce and California laws. This forces Charlie to meet with attorney Bert Spitz (a terrific Alan Alda), who may or may not be up to the task - his acumen varying from day to day.
Baumbach allows both sides to play out. These are basically normal, good people in a situation that brings out the worst traits in both. Unsparing pain arises at every turn. One particular argument between Charlie and Nicole is the axis on which the movie turns. It's a spilling of guts and filled with devastating honesty. The scene is relentless and builds to a breakdown or breakthrough ... any description leaves us spent. Just when we don't believe we can handle any more emotional turmoil, up pops a moment of genuine tenderness that restores our faith - even if it's only long enough for us to breathe again. There are even some surprisingly funny (dark humor) moments sprinkled throughout, just as there is in life.
Supporting roles are filled beautifully by Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty, Merritt Weaver and Wallace Shawn. As Henry, Azhy Robertson avoids the "cute-kid" syndrome and delivers an actual nuanced performance by a child actor. Although it seems they are both everywhere these days, Ms. Johansson and Mr. Driver are truly outstanding in their roles here. Scarlet perfectly captures a woman moving on, while Adam singing Stephen Sondheim's "Being Alive" at the bar in front of his theatre company is one of the most poignant on screen moments of the year.
There have been some amazing movies about marriage/divorce over the years. Bergman's SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (1974), Benton's KRAMER VS KRAMER (1979), and Farhadi's A SEPARATION (2011) come to mind. Baumbach's latest belongs in that group. Even the "best" divorces - those where both sides end up better off - are a "loss" for both parties. At a minimum, it's a loss of a once-in-time vision of life partnership. The division of assets is a cold term for the shredding of emotions. We are fine with whatever the adults decide as long as the priority for both is their young son who shouldn't pay the price for their debacle ... but certainly will, just as countless other children have. I'm only now able to write about this film after seeing it at the inaugural North Texas Film Festival (NTXFF). As a movie lover, I'm in awe of the acting and storytelling. As a human being, it temporarily destroyed me.