Review of The Squid and the Whale (2005) by Matt M — 28 Dec 2013

This semi-autobiographical tale of a disintegrating family set in the eighties is a wonderfully scripted story by screenwriter Noah Baumbach on his directorial debut. The film talks about serious domestic themes, but while it is quite dramatic it retains some of the deadpan comedy appeal that is also identified with Wes Anderson who produced this film and collaborated with Noah Baumbach on numerous previous occasions.

Ultimately, this film is a portrait of people concealing their inner weaknesses and vulnerabilities through flawed and armoured hard outer shells. In is a comedy about the imprefections of people and how those imprefections can affect everyone around them.

It feels very real, and the performances by the cast too feel very authentic.