i do like a good independent (art-house) american film
most other stuff coming out of the u s of a easily avoided
this one reviewed well with glowing praise for mark ruffalo
he playing cameron - chronic bi-polar sufferer living in boston
a home movie is playing with one of the 2 daughters narrating
summarising cameron meeting and marrying maggie (zoe saldana)
back in the present day 1970's and cameron has lost the plot
running amok outside a car his family are trying to leave in
his loving wife no longer able to hold the family together
he then hospitalised and on medication but with regular visits
sad scenes as his two young daughters are witness to his demise
afterwards telling enquiring friends - our dad is totally polar bear
i like it - quirky - yes but a sense of reality pervades each scene
as cam recovers he takes up digs in a nearby halfway house
so time can be spent with his daughters who love his company
his want to be a good father leads to some embarrassing situations
particularly dealing with neighbours, school friends and his rich family
but the love between all four of them means tolerance overrides all
maggie needs a well-paid job - a college education is required
acceptance at colombia in new york presents some problems
she proposes that cam is the live-in sitter during the week
at weekends she will return - so they can be a family again
and so it goes - with quite erratic results due to cam's condition
he chain-smokes, dresses bizarrely and throws the odd tantrum
his eccentricity confirmed with the family car a citreon wagon
sadly disposed of in a whim when cam swaps it for a wreck
the tidiness of the house goes from one extreme to the other
and the daughters similarly loathe and love their doting dad
some very controlled direction provides an entertaining ride
laugh-out-loud moments, cringing and moist eyes all happen
shaky-cam and some fine folky-americana music add to it
juno and eternal sunshine films come to mind effortlessly
the same sensibility - pure love overcomes all problems
and the acting is just so convincing - mark ruffalo nails it
zoe saldana - wow - a beautifully played mother and wife
e..g. deftly handling the (non) issue of inter-racial marriage
mum - how come i don't look black - i can't say i'm black
honey - of course you're black - look - your mother is black
towards the end i was fearful of a neat happy-ever-after wrap
but not so - maggie then secures a lucrative job in new york
and cam is left to continue to fend for the girls as best he can
the final scene - a tear-jerker - as the girls head off to school
refusing to look back at their dad - i hate the way he watches
but they do - and there's real love in all sets of eyes - sigh
cut - end - some more stunning singer-songwriter music
perfect - this film absolutely oozes with love and respect
none more so than from writer-director maya forbes
auto-biographical apparantly - so from the heart...
