THE SQUID AND THE WHALE
US, 2005, 81 minutes, Colour.
Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, Anna Paquin, William Baldwin.
Directed by Noah Baumbach.
An intelligent and thought-provoking film.
It will not be to everyone’s taste. It is a glimpse of a surface-successful family and then it probes beneath the surface, dramatising the selfishness and ugliness, the potential for good that is squandered. Some of the ugliness is heard in the language and seen in some bizarre behaviour of the children.
In fact, The Squid and the Whale is one of the most potent films concerning the influence parents have on their children, where role-modelling and expectations have a pervasive effect. And, when the parental behaviour is destructive, this is absorbed by the children both consciously and unconsciously.
The Squid and the Whale runs for only 81 minutes but packs the short running time with a great deal of plot and detail. The screenplay was Oscar-nominated and won many 2005 awards in the United States. It is autobiographical. The writer-director, Noah Baumbach, turned 17 in 1986, when this film is set.
The place is Brooklyn and the film opens with a family tennis match which immediately lets us know where the tensions lie, both in words and in body language. Bernard, the professor father, is a controller. He always wants to dominate, to win and is not above serving directly at his wife. 16 year old Walt is his partner and is obviously emulating his father, absorbing gratefully every word of praise. Frank is twelve and loves tennis. He also loves his mother who can’t measure up to Bernard’s aggressiveness and walks off. The plot is summed up in an ordinary but insightful scene.
When the parents inevitably break up, Walt takes his father’s side. Walt is in danger of becoming a clone of his father. Bernard is a published author. He is also arrogant, name-dropping, elitist, fostering his son’s blind admiration. Frank is afraid of his father and closer to his mother. A complicated joint custody where the sons spend alternating days with father and mother only aggravates the situation.
This is not comfortable viewing. It gets more uncomfortable as Walt tries to develop a relationship with his girlfriend but is awkward and ignorant. Frank imitates his father’s crass and impatient language and becomes obsessed with the physical and sexual changes he is experiencing. Bernard is oblivious of the problems. Joan is unable to help. There are some telling scenes when the principal calls in the parents to discuss Frank and a teacher reveals that Walt has stolen the song which won him a competition prize.
We don’t hear about the squid and the whale until Walt goes, unwillingly, to a counsellor and finally remembers a time when he was happy: when his mother took him to the Natural History Museum and he looked at the tableau of the squid and the whale, shielding his eyes from their battle and consoled by his mother. This is obviously a symbol of his parents’ battles. But, recognising this is the beginning of some enlightenment and a possibility for hope.
Jeff Daniels has never been better as the self-important Bernard. Laura Linney is always good. Jesse Eisenberg is the key to the film as Walt and he is utterly believable as is Owen Kline as Frank.
This story could happen – is happening – in any street in our cities. It is a challenge to our understanding and to our response to people with emotional family problems.
1.The impact of the film? Brief, focused? Strong characters? Complex relationships? Love, hurt and betrayal?
2.The Brooklyn 1986 settings, the apartments, the streets, tennis courts, restaurants, school? Atmosphere of authenticity? The musical score? The use of Pink Floyd’s song, ‘Hey You’? For Walt, for the themes of the film and Walt’s character?
3.The strength of the dialogue, the many awards for the screenplay? Blending literate and crass? Arrogant and elitist? The comments on philistines? The audience judgment on each of the characters and their mental attitudes, intellect, condescension?
4.The title, Walt’s experience: the memories with the psychologist, the happy memories with his mother when he was young and before his brother was born, the visits to the museum, watching the tableau of the squid and the whale? The finale of the film? The image of his parents and their fighting – and having to shut his eyes because he was frightened of this tableau?
5.The strong cast, believable performances? Audiences identifying with characters? Sympathising with them? Repelled by others? The complexity of each character, the good and the bad, the right and the wrong?
6.The film’s comment on divorce, poor marriages, parental role models and the effect of children? The children absorbing the role modelling, consciously or unconsciously? The emotional response, imitating the parents, close to the parents or dismissing them and condemning them? Parental expectations and living up to them? The effect of abnormal behaviour leading to abnormal behaviour by the children? The shadow side of the children, breaking out, in language, behaviour? Treatment of others? Attitudes and the repeating of the pattern of the parents?
7.The opening, the tennis match, Bernard and his domination, urging Walt on, attacking Joan? His dismissal of Ivan? The control by Bernard? Wanting to win? The transition to the meal table, the conversation, Walt identifying with Bernard, Frank and his love for his mother? Establishing the edge in the family?
8.The portrait of Bernard: his age, experience, seeing him at the tennis match, his domination, control? Teaching at school, the encounter with Lily, the flirtatious talk? His early books, his early success, book readings etc? His not being able to be published in more recent times? His continual name-dropping? His arrogance for example about Dickens and Tale of Two Cities as lesser works? His disdain of people? His criticism of the psychologists in public schools and their not having degrees? His innate jealousy? Jealousy of his wife? His condemnation of Ivan and calling him a philistine? Not wanting Frank to be a tennis pro like Ivan? His wanting to have hits with Ivan – and Ivan beating him? The revelations about Joan and his knowing the truth all the years? His claiming that he did everything to help the marriage? Did he? His explanations of what he did – to cooking burgers? The meanness and his saving of costs? The comic touches in restaurants and letting Sophie pay for instance? His discussions with Frank, picking him up, forbidding his pro tennis career? His being with Walt, boasting, inviting him to school, commenting on novels, people that he had met? Fostering an elitist attitude in Walt? The clash with Joan, especially about suggesting an ending to her story? The verbal and physical violence? His novel being rejected and his lying about it? The conference with the principal about his children? His excusing them? The discussion about the marriage break-up, the division of property, the issue of the cat, his preparing the schedule of the shuffling between houses for the children?
9.The portrait of Joan, pleasant, at tennis, dominated by her husband? The seventeen years of marriage – and her memories of her affair before the marriage, being charmed by her husband? His previous marriages and explanation of the annulment, the difficulties with his second wife? Bernard beginning to despise Joan, the jealousy with her writing? Her success – and people complimenting her on her story? Her love for her children, Frank and his devotion towards her, Walt and his disdain? At the tennis match, at the table, her writing, the revelation of her affair, Bernard telling the children? Walt’s reaction and condemnation of his mother? The clash and the fights with Bernard? The break-up, her keeping the house, the issue of the cat, the timetable? Her hiding her books under Frank’s bed?
10.The portrait of Walt, his age, arrogant, playing tennis well, his father’s approval, the discussions about Kafka and other authors, his pontificating about F. Scott Fitzgerald (and its later being revealed that he had not read them)? His composing the song, taking it from Pink Floyd, singing it with Frank, the performance for his parents? The performance at school? His winning the competition? At school, with fellow students? The announcement of the break-up, his anger, wanting to keep it secret, discussing it with his friend – and finding that the friend’s father had had an affair with Joan? The prospect of Lily coming to the house? His infatuation, keeping her tissue? The friendship with Sophie, the meal with her parents, being considered humorous, going to the movie and having the meal with his father, the sexual encounter, the effect on him, she explaining she was a virgin, he the same? His rude comment about her freckles? His being bewildered by all that was going on in his life?
11.The portrait of Frank, his age, at the tennis match, wanting to be a pro like Ivan, his father’s explanation of what a philistine was and his claiming to be a philistine? His love for his mother? His crying over the break-up, telling his friend? His difficulties with his father, not wanting to be in his house? The masturbation sequences, especially in the library? His language – and imitating his father? Running away, his father bringing him back? His drinking alcohol? His being absorbed with himself?
12.The two homes, the division of time, the effect on each of the boys? Their abnormal behaviour? Walt and the competition and the aftermath and his being exposed as taking the song? His justification that it was the kind of song he would have written? His confrontation with his mother after the performance, her slapping him? Bernard and Lily, in the house, his catching them together, his bewilderment? His break with Sophie – for the wrong reasons? His father urging him to play the field? His mother trying to be kind? Frank and his unhappiness and wanting to run away?
13.Bernard and the infatuation with Lily? Joan and the relationship with Ivan, Frank coming in and catching them, their going away together? The tension when Bernard and Joan met, in the house? The criticism? Their going to the principal’s office and learning what their two sons were doing?
14.The clashes, Walt and Lily? His running away, putting his head in the water in the lake? His telling his mother? Walt taking responsibility for Frank? The discussions between Bernard and Joan, and the break-up of the marriage, Joan ringing Bernard’s father? Bernard and his attempt to reconcile, then threatening to sue Joan?
15.Walt and the psychologist, his arrogant attitude towards him, eventually telling the story of his mother, going to see the squid and the whale?
16.Bernard’s collapse, his worrying about what it looked like? Walt in the hospital? His wanting more pillows? His father pleading with him to stay? Walt and his weeping, going, going to the museum and standing before the squid and the whale?
17.The themes of parents and role modelling, dominating parents, the setting up of expectations? Their lack of self-knowledge? Intellect and heart? The effect on children – the future?
