AN EMOTIONAL POWERHOUSE OF A DIVORCE DRAMA!

Rating: 10/10 (26 January 2020)

Noah Baumbach's powerful, bruising divorce drama that is brilliant cinematic tour-de-force. About Brooklyn parents Charlie Barber, played brilliantly by Adam Driver who received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his powerhouse performance that is so full of rage and inner ruination, who is successful New York theater director, and his former teen-movie actress wife Nicole, sensationally played by Scarlett Johansson in a devastating heartfelt performance that earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, who gave up her early fame to join her husband's theater troupe, she has deferred her own dreams for his, now their relationship has seriously soured. Charlie and Nicole decide to separate amicably with no lawyers for the sake of their young son Henry, superbly played by Azhy Robertson. But then on the advice of a friend, Nicole makes an investigative visit to an attorney, wonderfully played by Laura Dern in an Oscar nominated performance for Best Supporting Actress, and before you know it Charlie and Nicole find themselves in a full scale divorce war. Skillful direction By Baumbach who also wrote the captivating Oscar nominated screenplay, fine cinematography Robbie Ryan, an evocative Oscar nominated original score by Randy Newman, and exceptional supporting performances by Ray Liotta, Alan Alda, Julia Geer, Merritt Wever, Annie Hamilton, and Mark O' Brien, but it is the virtuoso performances of Driver and Johansson that dominate this magnificent motion picture. Nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture. highly recommended.