Flawed Gem -- Spoiler

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2008)

I really enjoyed this movie, which I thought was virtually flawless for the first two thirds: realistic, authentic, original. Starting with the scene in which the son tells his father he wants to leave to start his own drilling company, though, I found the acting became stylized, as opposed to naturalistic, a real shift in tone. I hate to say it, but it reminded me of Nicholson in "The Shining." Even the last line, after the murder, seems like a joke, perhaps the only funny line in the entire very somber film. Why the shift? What was the director trying to accomplish by changing from realism (which works well for this film of Naturalistic themes) to stylization. Any ideas?
Folks have commented on the "Citizen Kane" quotes, which I think are done in really interesting ways. For example, if Kane is famous for deep focus, here we see Kane-like scenes in incredibly shallow focus. The music's fantastic, drawing attention to itself in ways that break the rules of traditional film-making, really adding dimension to the narrative and characterizations.