Review of Another Happy Day (2011) by Jamie W — 27 Mar 2011

I struggled with this film, though it's clear that most (if not all) of the bad taste it left in my mouth was entirely intentional. It's a dark, dismal family drama which makes occasional jabs at comedy that are usually so crispy that they're hard to laugh at.

The acting in the film is absolutely remarkable; Ellen Barkin delivers a haunting and painful performance that constantly branches into deeper and deeper emotional pitfalls, and Ellen Burstyn proves that she is still one of the most delicate of screen actresses.

Both deserve attention come awards season. Where the picture becomes questionable is in its unrelenting darkness; watching the film, it seems as though I don't doubt the validity of this comment on the broken family, but it would be hard to imagine sitting through it again.

(SXSW 2011).