“The Savages” is a darkly humorous film about two siblings who must care for their estranged father with dementia. They navigate through the complexities of their own personal lives while trying to come to terms with their dysfunctional family dynamics. As they face the inevitability of their father’s death, they find both solace and frustration in each other’s company. The movie is a poignant exploration of the human experience and the realities of mortality.
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Review
Somewhere in the universe, an alien species may be watching us humans and remarking on how savage we can be in dealing with our own kind. But the movie “The Savages” is not about aliens looking down on us. It is a poignant and bittersweet tale of two siblings dealing with their aging father’s descent into dementia, while juggling their own dysfunctional lives.
The movie was directed by Tamara Jenkins, who also wrote the screenplay. It stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as Jon Savage, a struggling theatre professor in Buffalo, New York, and Laura Linney as his sister Wendy Savage, a struggling playwright in New York City.
The opening scene shows Jon attending a lecture on Brecht’s “Mother Courage” where he argues that it is not a tragedy but rather a dark comedy, eliciting groans from his students. This sets the tone for the movie – life can be tragic but also absurdly funny.
Jon and Wendy are both pushing middle age and have strained relationships with each other and their partners. They are forced to set aside their personal issues when they receive news that their father Lenny (Philip Bosco) has been evicted from his Arizona retirement home due to his worsening dementia.
The siblings have to fly out to Arizona to attend to him since they are his closest living relatives. They find Lenny living in squalor in a rundown motel room, surrounded by hoarded junk mail and wearing soiled clothes.
Lenny had abandoned them when they were young children to pursue his artistic dream of being a writer in Europe. He had built an imaginary world where he was a celebrated author hobnobbing with literary giants like Samuel Beckett. But reality had caught up with him as he aged – he was now alone and forgotten, unable to remember where he was or who his children were.
Jenkins skillfully weaves humor into this bleak situation. At one point Jon quips that their father has “the cognitive ability of a potted plant” and in another scene, Wendy jokes about euthanizing her father with a pillow.
But beneath the humor is the pain of their shared history. Jon and Wendy had grown up in a dysfunctional household where their parents fought constantly and their mother had committed suicide. Their childhood trauma had left deep scars that manifested in their adult lives.
Jon is trapped in an unhappy relationship with his girlfriend who has no ambitions or intellectual curiosity. He yearns for love and intellectual stimulation but cannot find it in his current life. Wendy is stuck in a dead-end affair with a married man who keeps promising to leave his wife but never does.
As they struggle to take care of their father, they also struggle with their own mortality. They feel trapped by their past and uncertain about their future. They have no children to carry on their legacy and no solid relationships to anchor them.
The acting in “The Savages” is sublime – both Hoffman and Linney deliver nuanced performances with depth and vulnerability. They are both flawed characters who are trying to do the right thing even when it is difficult or uncomfortable.
Philip Bosco deserves special mention for his portrayal of Lenny, a man who had lost touch with reality but still clung to remnants of his past glory. He delivers some heartbreaking scenes that will make you tear up.
“The Savages” received critical acclaim upon its release in 2007, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It is a low-budget indie gem that captured the zeitgeist of its time – the looming specter of aging baby boomers dealing with dementia, mortality, and existential angst.
Jenkins uses sparse but effective filmmaking techniques – she employs long takes without any music score, understated lighting, closeups on faces that convey emotions without words – to create an intimate atmosphere that draws you into the characters’ world.
The movie was shot on location in Buffalo and Arizona, adding to its authenticity. The use of empty spaces and cluttered environments also emphasizes the characters’ sense of isolation and feelings of being overwhelmed.
In conclusion, “The Savages” is a movie that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure. It is a reminder of the fragility of life and the power of family ties. It showcases the talent of its cast and crew who created a masterpiece out of a simple premise. So, watch it if you haven’t already, and prepare to be moved.
Technical Data
- Runtime : 114
- Release : 2007-01-19
- Genre : Drama
- Cast : Laura Linney as Wendy Savage, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Jon Savage, Philip Bosco as Lenny Savage, Peter Friedman as Larry, David Zayas as Eduardo
- Crew : Anthony Bregman as Executive Producer, Jeanne McCarthy as Casting, David C. Robinson as Costume Design, Jim Taylor as Executive Producer, Ted Hope as Producer
- Popularity 9.892
- Budget : 0
- Revenue : $10,653,221
- Company : Fox Searchlight Pictures, Ad Hominem Enterprises, Lone Star Film Group
- Summary : A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.
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