Review of Attenberg (2010) by Dimitri A — 04 Feb 2013

I expected to be underwhlemned given some of the reviews, but I found the film very moving, primarily because of the father daughter relationship, which had great depth because of its candor and devotion. It was eccentric, but the father and daughter have very frank conversations which may seem existential, but which are very human as well. This point is brought home when (SPOLIER) the father says to his daughter at one point, "I shouldn't talk to you as though you're my buddy." The daughter answers, "You have no buddies. I am your buddy." Their relationship is close but cloistered, and though the woman is a little late in experiencing the world more fully at the age of 23, the movie seems to suggest she has gained so much in this relationship with her father. From awkward kissing and sex scenes at the beginning to some fearless musing while having sex later, she shows she's in bloom. There's actually quite a bit of growth. So I don't see the characters as sterile at all. They have great depth.

I can understand being turned off by the Attenberg metaphors comparing his documentaries on animal behavior to the sideshow snippets (I don't think they are dreams) on eccentric human behavior, but they are easy to ignore, they are humorous, I think, and if you really care about them, it seems to be saying that looking in on this young woman, raised by an eccentric father, is a bit like Attenberg peering in on the primates. Her need to be socialized and all the rituals it entails is a move out of that box.

Good film, but I read several poor reviews, and was surprised to find it more moving and even more compelling than I expected.