The Unsophisticates Update #4

SFF Film - Life During Wartime (Drama/Comedy)

I can’t remember the last time I laughed at so much sadness! To be honest it felt kind of awkward at first, particularly during the opening scene of ‘Life During Wartime’ when I realized I was laughing out loud as I watched both Joy and her husband cry miserably throughout their anniversary dinner. But once I realized the rest of the State Theatre was laughing along with me, I started to feel quite relaxed about seeing the amusing side of other people’s misfortunes. And I’m quite sure the writer, Todd Solondz, wouldn’t have minded at all. In fact I think he would’ve been quite chuffed had he been sitting in the Theatre on Saturday morning with us. After all, he does use the delightful phrase – “sad comedies” - to describe his films. And whilst I totally loved all 96 minutes of this film, I did wonder at times if it could’ve been more aptly described as a “funny tragedy”.

‘Life During Wartime’ is directed and written by Todd Solondz and is the sequel to his 1998 film Happiness. In his latest film, Solondz picks up on the same characters a decade later, albeit with a completely different set of actors. And for those of you that were going to give this film a miss on account of not having seen the prequel, I would strongly suggest you revisit that decision. It’s perfectly coherent and fulfilling as a standalone film. I for one have not seen ‘Happiness’ (although I added it to my Netflix cue as soon as I got home) and I still found this film thoroughly engaging and enjoyable and at no stage during the storyline did I feel like I was missing out on some assumed prior knowledge.

‘Life During Wartime’ is about the three Jordan sisters and their complicated relationships with men, each other, and their own parents. The performances of the three sisters are all amazing. Shirley Henderson, who plays the youngest sister Joy, is so convincingly crazy I’m still having trouble reconciling the real Shirley’s character when she was introduced by Festival Director, Claire Stewart at the start of the film. Allison Janney, as the single mum Trish, is so entertaining in her honesty and frankness that I just loved every minute she was on screen. And Ally Sheedy as Helen (the arty sister who has been hooking up with Keanu) is hilarious and made me realize that it’s been way too long since the Breakfast Club! And finally the noteworthy performance of Trish’s son, Timmy (played by Dylan Riley Schnyder) – a character who is central to so much of the story as he tries to come to terms with difficult feelings towards his dad as well as his mum’s new relationship - made me think he must have been through a lot in his short life to be able to portray such a messed up little kid.

This film explores the topic of forgiveness, and the amazing capacity we have as humans to forgive people for incredible hurt caused – particularly by family members. There’s also interesting discussions about what’s ‘unforgiveable’ and it’s enlightening to watch each of the different characters wrestle with their own limits regarding what can and can’t be forgiven. The film is also a commentary on suburban American life and the fact that clean, issue-free lives and relationships might be more abnormal than normal. Yet normal still seems to be what we’re all striving for…

Whilst the subject matter is heavy and at times a little depressing, I actually found the film oddly uplifting. I think this is partly due to the hope and persistence all of the characters share about relationships, in spite of all the terrible things that seem to come from being in one. As Trish exclaims during a date early on the film, she’s just stoked to meet someone who isn’t “sicko–pervy”! The other thing about this film which helps to overshadow the tragedy, is the beauty and exactness that is evident in every shot, filled with contrasting colours and deliberately positioned backgrounds. It would’ve made for a beautiful series of still colour photographs.

Many of Solondz films have been controversial (in fact ‘Happiness’ was dropped by the initial distributor) and this latest film is likely to be no different, raising its own controversy on account of pedophilia themes, open discussions regarding rape and homosexuality, and questionable parenting styles. But better to be controversial than predictable don’t you think? ‘Life During Wartime’ certainly doesn’t bear any resemblance to conventional Hollywood storylines and as Solondz once said “I don’t think I’ll ever write a film that is meant to appeal to everyone” – but sad-comedy or funny-tragedy - it certainly appealed a whole lot to me.