What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

A beautiful film that shows the strength of the bonds of family.

Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) has a pretty rough life. Living in a small town in the middle of nowhere, Iowa, most of his day is taken up with working in the local grocery store, as well as looking after his younger, profoundly disabled, brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Sure, he has help from sisters Amy (Laura Harrington) and Ellen (Mary Kate Schellhardt), and the love and support of their mother Bonnie (Darlene Cates). But given that his mother hasn’t left the house since their father died many years earlier, and has become more and more overweight to the point that she doesn’t even leave the couch, she isn’t as much help as he would like.

Add to this existence a sordid affair with married woman Betty Carver (Mary Steenburgen) and being a friend to handyman Tucker (John C. Reilly), and it seems that his life couldn’t get any more difficult.

And Arnie is incredibly difficult to care for. His eighteenth birthday is fast approaching, and yet he is unable to do virtually anything for himself.

It isn’t until new girl Becky (Juliette Lewis) and her grandmother come to town - after their camper breaks down just outside the city limits - that Gilbert’s life starts to look like it may have some good in it after all.

The screenplay - written by Peter Hedges and based on his own novel - is very good. The characters are all clearly defined and all have a very rich history with one another and with the town. The pacing of the film is just right, and nothing feels as though it doesn’t absolutely need to be there.

Sven Nykvist’s cinematography is incredible, with beautiful sweeping shots of the scenery throughout, and unique shots and camera angles abound. The whole film - despite some of these wide shots of the Iowa landscape - feels incredibly intimate, and the viewer feels very much a part of the action, with plenty of close shots and moving camera.

Björn Isfält’s music is used very sparingly, and to great effect. There is a theme - or leitmotif - that is used several times throughout the film, any time that Gilbert and Arnie are sharing a particularly tender moment. The theme varies in its instrumentation each time, but it is nevertheless the same, and serves to ground the entire story around these two brothers, whose love for one another is one of the strongest central themes of the film.

The performances of the entire cast are absolutely incredible, in particular Depp and DiCaprio. DiCaprio was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and with very good reason. Sadly, he missed out on the award, as it was given instead to Tommy Lee Jones for The Fugitive, which I believe was a mistake; this performance was far superior. He did, however, win a Golden Globe for his portrayal, which is so incredibly realistic, but also is pulled off without the slightest hint of caricature or mockery.

Another standout performance is that of Darlene Cates, playing the mother to this family. Her love for all her children, but particularly Arnie, is shown so strongly at various moments (I won’t go into detail, I’ll let you discover those for yourself if you haven’t already seen this film) that it brings tears to your eyes.

In fact, I must confess I spent most of the film in tears; the performances of the entire cast are just so realistic and heartfelt, and the script is just so damn good.

Lasse Hallström - who I must admit I only knew previously from the film Chocolat, though he has directed many other great movies - has made an amazing film here, a film that should have received many more awards and accolades than it did. I for one know I will be watching this many more times, and I would advise you to do the same.

9 out of 10.

August: Osage County (2013)

Based on the stage play by Tracy Letts, this film follows the adventures (or rather misadventures) of an incredibly dysfunctional family.

Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard) lives with his wife Violet (Meryl Streep) and newly-hired nurse/housekeeper Johnna (Misty Upham) in rural Oklahoma. Violet has mouth cancer, and is a very opinionated woman who doesn’t really seem to like anyone she comes across.

When Beverly goes missing (not for the first time, either), Violet contacts the rest of the family, who come to support her. First to arrive is daughter Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), as she lives the closest.

Shortly after, daughter Barbara (Julia Roberts) arrives with her estranged husband Bill (Ewan McGregor) and teenage daughter Jean (Abigail Breslin).

When Beverly’s body is found in a nearby lake (an apparent suicide) the rest of the family also make their way to the family home for the funeral and other arrangements.

Violet’s sister Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale) arrives with her husband Charlie (Chris Cooper), and is followed by their son Charles (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Last to arrive is youngest daughter Karen (Juliette Lewis), along with her fiancé Steve (Dermot Mulroney) who has already been married three times before.

The rest of the film I will leave for you to discover for yourself, but I will just tell you that the remainder of the film involves all kinds of family secrets and closeted skeletons, few of which you will see coming.

As mentioned above, this is based on a play that did quite well when it was on Broadway. Tracy Letts has written the screenplay himself, so obviously, the film is very similar to the original play.

As with a lot of films based on stage plays, the majority of the action takes place in only one location, namely around the family dinner table.

The script is incredibly tight, but at the same time, filled with an awful lot of dialogue. The amount of dialogue isn’t a problem as it is very good, I only mention it in passing, really.

All of the cast are fabulous in their respective roles, with the clear standout being Meryl Streep (surprise, surprise). Julia Roberts is also excellent as the eldest daughter, who carries a lot of the burden of the family herself (whether or not this is justified I will leave up to you to decide).

The score (by Gustavo Santaolalla) works well when it is present, which is not often. The primary focus of this film seems to be on the dialogue, which should come as no surprise as it is based on a play (I know I’ve said it a couple of times already, but it is abundantly clear at every moment as you watch the film).

The film is overall incredibly confronting, and will give you plenty to think about long after the final credits scroll.

Director John Wells has done an incredible job of bringing this brilliant play to the screen. I would definitely recommend watching this film if you haven’t done so yet (in fact, I think I may even watch it again myself very soon; there is so much in there to think about, and I think one would notice different things on each subsequent viewing).

8 1/2 out of 10.