Review of Infinitely Polar Bear (2014) by Ngarangi H — 02 Jun 2015

Infinitely Polar Bear stars Hollywood veterans Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana. Forewarning though, there is no Hulk, no Gamora, or indeed no superheroes here. Anyone looking for their fill of explosions and action are going to be sorely let down. On the spectrum of action packed thrillers, this film doesn't even register; yet, it is in no way un-entertaining. On the contrary, it fills a certain void no amount of green eyed anger could.

Cameron (Ruffalo) is a manic-depressive mess of a father who tries to win back his wife by attempting to take full responsibility of their two young, spirited daughters; who don't make the overwhelming task any easier. The film takes place in 1978 at the back end of the counter-culture movement. Cameron is a psychedelic bohemian still riding the highs of Woodstock, struggling with the inhibitions of domesticity and 'post-psychedelia'. His struggles become obvious when we discover he is a blue blood legacy who failed to fulfil expectations of graduating from Harvard and living on the fringes of American aristocracy.

However, do not be distracted by the Ruffalo sub-narrative. This film is first and foremost a feel good film, driven by the mantra: "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all". This is appropriate as Cameron and Maggie's (Saldana) two darling children: Amelia (Imogene Wolodarsky) and Faith (Ashley Aufderheide) struggle to see the silver lining within a life of poverty. Plagued by social castration at the hand of their black mother and white father, their ethnic dualism casts them into a world of social isolation; where making friends becomes difficult. However, who better to resolve issues of social mistreatment than their manic-depressive, post-psychedelic, bohemian father.

It is these moments of heart-felt fatherhood that carry both the mood and provide more than a few solitary moments of comic relief. While I have a few misgivings about Ruffalo's reliance on his cigarette to mark his bohemianism instead of actually acting, Maya Forbes' directing picks up the slack. Her super eight camera inserts aid the films heartfelt and projects a feeling of youthful nostalgia. All in all, while not a student film per se, a great film nonetheless.