Movie Loner

Getting old stinks. The aches, the pains, the medical probing and prodding. It would be nice to age gracefully with our faculties intact but some of us will inevitably become burdens. When this happens children often accept the responsibility of caring for their elderly parents. It’s far from easy for either party but we sacrifice for those we love. However, this whole process becomes increasingly problematic when the relationship between parent and children is strained. Watch The Savages and you’ll see what I mean.

Siblings Jon and Wendy Savage (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Linney) just received a phone call they’ve been dreading. Their aging father Lenny, who suffers from dementia, got tossed out of his Arizona home by his recently deceased girlfriend’s family. Lacking options, Jon and Wendy decide to bring Lenny back to Jon’s Buffalo home. Jon picks out a nursing home. Wendy battles mounting guilt. Complicating matters is Jon and Wendy’s painful memories of an abusive childhood at the hands of Lenny.

To help ease Lenny’s transition Wendy moves in with Jon. Sibling rivalry heats up as bro and sis bicker over each other’s personal and professional lives. Despite their differences, they come together to care for their father whose condition worsens by the day. Wendy and Jon also grow closer and gain a mutual respect for one another, while struggling to forgive Lenny for his past misdeeds. Dealing with the end of their father’s life forces them to grow up, face their own mortality and find the happiness that has sadly eluded them.

Hoffman and Linney are two of the best actors working today. Their choice in roles are both challenging and interesting. They rarely deliver false performances and watching them act side-by-side is absolute pleasure. Writer/director Tamara Jenkins balances a poignant story with moments of levity. Caring for the elderly is a tricky subject matter not often seen in mainstream film. The Savages provides a realistic examination of a scenario that many of us will confront at some point in our lives. It’s one of those smaller films deserving of a wider audience.

The trailer for The Savages: