Movie Loner

We’re all searching for something. Maybe it’s our place in the world or perhaps a semblance of clarity. Whether 17 or 40, answers continuously elude us. And yet we press on in hopes of finding an identity, a sense of belonging. These themes and many others are at the heart of director Mike Mills’ Thumbsucker, an offbeat little film about letting go of what we know in order to discover our true selves.

At 17, Justin Cobb still sucks his thumb. This infantile habit adds strain to the relationship with his daydreaming mother (Tilda Swinton) and withdrawn father (Vincent D’Onofrio). It also negatively affects his interaction with girls causing him much embarrassment at school. An attempt to cure the oral fixation by his new-age orthodontist (Keanu Reeves) proves toilsome for Justin. His freakish behavior lands him in front of the principal. The school’s solution: diagnose Justin with ADHD and load him up with pills.

Justin’s medicinal routine has an immediate impact. Void of distraction he becomes more focused. His studies improve and his newfound thirst for knowledge gains him a spot on the debate team, where he flourishes in the face of competition. The period of stability doesn’t last; Justin exchanges legal drugs for pot and the opportunity to explore his sexuality with his longtime crush Rebecca. Tested by the pitfalls of adolescence, Justin finally comes to terms with his own identity and finds a place where he belongs.

The act of thumbsucking represents much in the movie. Justin’s unwillingness to extricate himself from his mother’s hold is obvious, but the thumb itself offers him a sort of protection, sanctity in an unsafe confusing world. When he stops the act, he panics, unsure of how to survive. Drugs provide only temporary relief. Dealing with his problems head on is the only real solution. Feeling weird and out-of-place is part of growing up. Medicating our youth only prolongs their maturity, placing them in a perpetual state of arrested development. Thumbsucker is a thought-provoking film worth seeing, especially if you’re a parent.

The trailer for Thumbsucker: