Review of Murmur of the Heart (1971) by Terry B — 27 Feb 2014

At first, it seemed like a case study in bad parenting. The eldest son takes money from his mother's purse; she demands it back, but everyone knows she doesn't mean it. The mother chases the boy around her bedroom to get the bill, but he refuses to give it; finally, the "hero", the youngest son, get the bill from his brother and hands it to his mother. She eventually gives the eldest son the money to settle his debts at his local bar. (All the boys are in high school, and the youngest is only fourteen and in short pants.).

The first hour establishes this toxic family. But in the second half, the hero is diagnosed with a heart murmur and for a moment it seems like the family will form again around him. He goes with his mother to a spa, where he witnesses his mother's affair. They speak like adults, and again it seems like the family will heal. Then after a Bastille Day celebration, the mother is passed out drunk and the hero has sex with her, losing his virginity. When she wakes and realizes what happened, she tells him very gently that it can never happen again. He immediately becomes a horn dog and sleeps with a girl his own age. He is caught by his father, who only laughs.

Altogether, a completely toxic family. The film was clearly intended to by shocking, and a reversal the Oedipus drama, a sort of 1970's statement in favor of free love. It seems immensely calculated, more Hollywood than Hollywood.

I can't decide if it's one star for its cynicism, or four stars for its skill.