directed by Johnathan Demme
written by Jenny Lumet
starring Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mather Zickal, Bill Irwin, Anna Deavere Smith, Anisa George, Tunde Adebimpe, Debra Winger, Jerome Le Page
If you are ever released from an institution the very last people you should be around are your family. Unfortunately for Kym (Hathaway), she pretty much is forced to face them as her older sister Rachel (DeWitt) is planning a massive wedding and Kym feels obligated to attend. After nine months in rehab Kym decides to take the big stumbling first step out in front of most her family and a gaggle of guests who all seem to know a bit about Kym’s tortured past.
This really is an exquisite turn by Anne Hathaway who creates a character so delicately wounded that it’s impossible to truly comprehend the depth of her sorrow. Hathaway allows the viewer into the tangled mess that has become Kym’s life and the effect is heartbreaking yet deeply entrancing. It’s mostly conveyed with a slight glance or a half, uncommitted smile. When the camera is on Hathaway this seems like an important film. But it also has to be about the wedding and all the madness surrounding it. At times it feels as if Kym’s story is sacrificed to the very pressing need of showing a truly liberal, international crowd doing everything to prove that they are truly embracing of the universal brotherhood of man. This is a film that certainly wants to say something about race relations by presenting a scenario where an interracial couple meet and fall in love. It’s a veritable utopia of multiculturalism, way too much dancing, and way too much food.
The major obstacle to any stasis in Kym’s life is a tragic family event that happened when she was sixteen. It was horrific and Kym was astoundingly high when it occurred. She was supposed to be in charge that day and her lapse in judgment cost the family a loved one and they seem still years later to harbor feelings of judgment for Kym. She certainly feels persecuted and paranoid and has a terrible time relating to her family. Numerous scenes capture a look that expresses nothing less than a desire to be far, far away. The problem is however that she also feels an overwhelming need to perpetually tell her story over and again as if by doing so she can reduce it somehow and imagine it is someone else’s story. But it isn’t and she knows this. She acts out in front of her family in an effort to alienate them so she can feel truly wretched and therefore undeserving of forgiveness.
Early on it’s apparent that there is great tension between Rachel and Kym. From Rachel’s point of view Kym is doing everything she can to take the spotlight for herself and Rachel despises her for it. The film does a great job in conveying these difficult moments between siblings and just how impossible it is for each of them to reach a place of grace and understanding.
For whatever reason, the film makers decided to create a scene lasting nearly twenty minutes and shoot it in a tiny space where nothing substantial happens whatsoever. It is a pre wedding dinner sequence and countless people are filmed offering their congratulations. It’s nauseating and claustrophobic and I truly understood the urgency to escape as fast as possible. It seemed to finally come to a stop with Kym taking the mic and nakedly proceeding to weigh the gathering down with her myriad issues regarding her addiction and subsequent treatment. But then it just picked up again for a few agonizing minutes before the next outdoor scene. This technique is repeated later when the entire party seems to have gathered in the kitchen and a contest erupts to see who can load the dishwasher in the quickest time. Again, it’s being forced in a small space watching people do something that has absolutely no meaning in terms of the plot and it just won’t stop. The only redemption in the scene comes at the end when the crowd disperses leaving Kym alone sitting in a chair with her back to the camera. Rachel’s fiancé Sidney (Adebimpe) approaches her and gently places his hand on her back. It’s such a simple moment but it says everything about the genuineness of Rachel’s need as well as Sidney’s great empathy and understanding.
In many ways Kym does not behave like an adult. Indeed, many of her tantrums and outbursts are more reminiscent of a teen-ager than anything else. She longs to be the center of everything and quite enjoys being talked about however scornful the dialog may be. There are allusions to anorexia combined with drug abuse that led to her cycle of dysfunction and several hospital stays. When she rattles on about her sickness its as if she’s prideful of it in some strange way.
Throughout this film there is tremendous sorrow and anguish on Kym’s face but also defiance. Indeed, the complexity of emotional states presented in this film are reminders of the strain that this forced encounter has necessitated. Kym is not in a state where she can be relieved of her guilt and torment by sitting in enclosed spaces with people she doesn’t feel she can trust. It is apparent at various moments that she senses that the walls are closing in on her. She is desperate and needy and takes no solace in either the concerns of her embattled father or the occasional reassuring words that trickle down to her.
The contrast between Kym and Rachel is clearly defined. We are to congratulate Rachel for her well structured life–marriage, child, well-paying job. She’s a beacon of normalcy and has readily taken her place in the pecking order. Kym, on the other hand, has tasted oblivion and has systematically railed against stifling, pedestrian social norms and seems unwilling to accept the niceties that are an inherent aspect of adjusted social grooming. It isn’t clear just what she’s done to fill in the void created by whatever junk she was injecting into her system. She isn’t portrayed as particularly artistic and seems to show little or no motivation to do anything particularly constructive. In short she is devoid of that almost blind optimism that afflicts so many as they make those initial inroads into society.
As mentioned Anne Hathaway is phenomenal in every scene she’s in. She deserves to be put on the short list for possible Oscar nominations with this role when the time comes. Rosemarie DeWitt stands firm and delivers a solid performance that resonates throughout the film. Rachel deftly reflects Kym’s anger right back at her and refuses to give any ground. This actually proves to be helpful in the end and suggests that a certain type of severity is often necessitated to jar certain types out of their apathetic states. Bill Irwin is startlingly good as the Dad Paul. He conveys his characters stress as well as his rather odd touches of playfulness if not outright glee. It’s a nice contrast to the brooding hysteria that threatens to take the house and the entire wedding party down with it. Tunde Adebimpe gives a tender, unaffected performance and clearly allows his character’s warmth and emotional agility shine in this part. His performance is quiet, unassuming and gravely effective at demonstrating how nobility and integrity can be conveyed with very little dialog.
Overall, this film has many flaws that tend to distract from what seems to be the core story being put forth here. It’s a film about family conflict and misdirected anger. There are too many interruptions of irrelevant scenes that hijack the plot and leave it sore, confused and dizzy when it is finally rescued from its assailants. Still, it does feature a truly brilliant performance and a couple of nice turns by others who manage to keep the film afloat just long enough.
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