Review of Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) by Filipeneto — 12 Sep 2020

Excellent, at all levels.

There are no easy weddings. Whoever is married, let him say it for you! And there are no easy divorces. There are always moments of accusations, acid exchanges, traumatic legal struggles, and children are often the most affected. This incredible film is about that.

Ted and Joanna Kramer were just another couple in an agonizing crisis: with work increasingly demanding, Ted was no longer able to pay attention to his wife's emotional needs, and the emotional divide between them became insurmountable. She packs her bags, walks out the door. He leaves everything behind, including his own son. Ted will have to change his life and learn to be a mother and father, knowing in advance that he will not get the same time and reasoning available to work at 110% as he did before. And the ghost of a legal battle for the custody of the child will always be a sword of Damocles on him.

The film is really good, it approaches the problem with a rare elegance and we can actually follow the changes in the routine and in the behavior of that father and that son, as they adapt. The script was wonderfully constructed and the emotional bond that we are establishing with the characters is fast and solid. At times, I felt that the film sided with the father on many issues, and that the maternal figure was almost condemned by the end of the marriage. On the other hand, the film raises very serious and pertinent questions as to how the courts, often relatively informally, tend to favor the mother's side in custody disputes. I think the way in which Ted Kramer exposes himself in the scene where he is asked about it in court is a real libel for defending a father's ability to be considered as good as any mother to raise her child. It's a joke, thirty, almost forty years after the film was made, and men are still a long way from earning the right to better prospects in a legal dispute over a child.

The actors did an excellent job. The film has a relatively small cast, and everything revolves around the family in disintegration. Dustin Hoffman is an excellent protagonist and really deserves to be acclaimed for his interpretation which, moreover. Beside her, equally grandiose, Meryl Streep manages to save her character who, in the hands of an actress without her talent and ability, would become a simple villain empty of content ... the only thing that may have hindered her is to have really little time in the film. Justin Henry, who gave life to the couple's young son, also knew how to work very seriously in his role and the way he did it was truly worthwhile, considering his age. Finally, a word of appreciation and praise for the work of Jane Alexander, in the role of the neighbor and best friend of the couple.

Not being the type of film where technical details stand out, it maintained a regularity that accentuated its elegance. Cinematography contributed decisively to this by using colors and light well, and maintaining a generally neutral contrast (in some scenes this was purposely altered). The sets and costumes are also very good, and I personally would like to highlight the way the decoration of the house changes over time: the maternal figure disappears, the “feminine touch” too, things become more practical. Finally, a note of praise that seems fair and important to the soundtrack, built on a solid foundation of melodies by Vivaldi and Purcell, two giants of Baroque music. As a confessed and incorrigible music lover, I was delighted to appreciate this soundtrack.