The Savages

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Late 2007 gave us some great films, after what had been, imho, a mediocre year. Tonight we saw The Savages, Tamara Jenkins' amazing film about sibling relationships. I can't even think of another movie that is primarily about sibling relationships, but this one is a whopper. Besides the art with which is was made, I loved it for its central thesis: that when you grow up with someone, you develop mental ruts---like wheel ruts, trenches into the ground that a vehicle is bound to slip into---that dominate your relationship with each other and can threaten to destroy it if you can't find out a way out.

For Jon and Wendy Savage, the brother and sister in this film, he's practical and can't help rolling his eyes at her emotionalism and idealism; she can't help resenting his constant dismissal of her every bright idea and reacting with increasing frustration and resentment, which makes her more emotional, which makes him dismiss her more. She craves validation, and the more she craves it, the less she can get it. He craves effectiveness, and the more he demands it the less he can get it.

Lest this sound like a heavy O'Neill drama, let me mention that it's a really funny movie too, and a really interesting one. This writer/director knows how to make art---how to convey meaning with images and dialogue and sound and editing. It's a dense movie, and pretty riveting. My favorite family drama since The Squid and the Whale, and even more realistic and satisfying.

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