Review of Demolition (2016) by Pablo6120 — 28 Sep 2016

Demolition (2015).

An odd little film from Director Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers’ Club, Wild) and screenwriter Bryan Sipe, Destruction does not deliver the intensity of Vallée’s aforementioned works. Shot like a semi-documentary, Demolition follows the destructive psyche of the protagonist, Davis, as he recovers from the death of his wife from a car accident, from which he emerged unscathed.

Davis is an investment banker who works for his father-in-law, Phil (played by (Chis Cooper) and has been blissfully “mailing-in” his career, his marriage, living in a carefully coordinated life. After suffering a meltdown due to the loss of his beloved wife, Davis finds himself disenchanted. This is revealed by a yen to deconstruct everything that malfunctions: a refrigerator that leaks, a squeaky restroom door and a malfunctioning PC. This behavior nearly severs any relations with his highly disciplined father-in-law.

In a world of hurt, Davis seeks out solace in an elusive customer service rep, Karen, who has her own instabilities, exacerbated by a brutish boss/lover and a teenage son, Chris, who is having a sexual identity crisis. Davis’ platonic relationship with Karen leads to his concern for Chris, whose propensity for the “F word” and typical teen angst are mundanely confronted by Davis. Davis enlists Chris in his ultimate deconstruction project: his beautiful, but starkly efficient home.

After learning of his departed wife’s infidelities, he attempts regain Phil’s trust in creating a beautiful tribute to his deceased wife.

An interesting role for Jake Gyllenhaal, his portrayal of Davis starts out as almost robot-like and morphs into an unhinged, but likable maniac. Naomi Watts, as Karen, successfully displays a fragile, lost soul who gets from as much as she gives to Davis. Judah Lewis is a promising new-comer as son Chris.

As good as the performances were, I felt unsatisfied with the ending, especially since questions about Karen’s situation go unanswered.

Demolition is a continuation of Vallée’s fascination with dysfunctional characters, that is mildly entertaining, but appeared to be incomplete. Not for everyone, I give it a 6 out of 10; the excellent acting was the film’s strong point.