The squid and the whale
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The squid and the whale |
| Original title | The Squid and the Whale |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2005 |
| length | 81 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Noah Baumbach |
| script | Noah Baumbach |
| production |
Wes Anderson , Charlie Corwin , Clara Markowicz , Peter Newman |
| music |
Britta Phillips , Dean Wareham |
| camera | Robert D. Yeoman |
| cut | Tim Streeto |
| occupation | |
| |
The octopus and the whale is a feature film by the US director Noah Baumbach from 2005 . The independent film is based on an original screenplay by Baumbach. a. from the film studios American Empirical Pictures , Original Media , Seven Hills Pictures , Ambush Entertainment and Films Destination produces. The German theatrical release was on May 11, 2006.
action
Brooklyn , New York , 1986 : Academic and writer Bernard Berkman and his restless wife, Joan, have given up marriage. Joan has had clandestine affairs for the past four years and has just sold a short story to The New Yorker magazine . Meanwhile, her husband has been living off the success of his first novel for years, but is in an artistic crisis. He does not understand why his marriage to Joan failed and begins an affair with the student Lili. The parents want to share custody of the sons Frank and Walt and their cat. 16-year-old Walt moves into a new home with his father, while 12-year-old Frank stays with his mother. The two sons are traumatized by their parents' divorce and the agreement that they should spend half of the week with the other parent.
The younger Frank is very fond of his mother and her new boyfriend, the daredevil Ivan. The pubescent boy soon begins to use obscene words at every opportunity and discover masturbation for himself. He starts drinking beer and is also eager to pursue his new hobby at school, which leads to a serious conversation with his parents and teachers.
The intelligent and sexually inexperienced Walt identifies himself very much with his father and, like his father, soon begins to think the worst of his mother, who no longer keeps the relationship with her lover a secret and brings him home with her. Serious Walt juggled his father's literary terms in order to impress his classmate Sophie. Bernard Berkman, though a kind father, is so busy with himself that he misses the important moments in his sons' lives.
To impress his father, Walt presented the song " Hey You " by the British rock band Pink Floyd as a composition of his own at a talent show at his school . Walt's performance is initially a great success, but he is then convicted of mental theft by a classmate who knows the lyrics of Pink Floyd. Walt and Frank's greatest wish that their parents can find each other again is not fulfilled either.
History of origin
The film is based on an original script by Noah Baumbach, in which he was inspired by memories of his own childhood. His parents, writer Jonathan Baumbach and film critic Georgia Brown, divorced when the director was a teenager. The title The Squid and the Whale is based on a well-known diorama in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, which shows a sperm whale in battle with a giant squid . Lead actress Laura Linney received Baumbach's script from actor Eric Stoltz in 2000 while she was filming Terence Davie's romantic drama House Bellomont . She immediately agreed to take part in the film. Jeff Daniels , William Baldwin and Anna Paquin were hired for the other leading roles . The roles of the two brothers, who are aware of the breakup of the family, were cast with the young actors Owen Kline and Jesse Eisenberg . For Kline, after Jennifer Jason Leighs and Alan Cummings Relationships and Other Disasters ( 2001 ), it is only the second appearance in a feature film.
Filming began in July 2004 and was completed in just 23 days. The Squid and the Whale was filmed on 16mm film to create an authentic 1980s feel. Baumbach himself did not want to use camera technology that did not exist in the 1980s. The film was shot on original locations in Park Slope , Brooklyn, New York, where the director grew up and attended Midwood High School, which can also be seen in the film. The house, which is the home of the Berkman family in the independent film, was made available to Baumbach by a family friend for filming.
reception
The tragic comedy premiered in January 2005 at the Sundance Film Festival . After the film u. a. Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival ( September 13 ), the New York Film Festival ( September 26 ) and the Chicago International Film Festival ( October 8 ), The Squid and the Whale officially launched on October 14, 2005 in Selected US cinemas. The fourth directorial work by director Noah Baumbach was understood as an ironically funny and relentless look at a family falling apart and it was compared to Robert Redford's family drama A Completely Normal Family ( 1980 ), as well as to the works of the American director Wes Anderson . The latter was also one of the producers of Baumbach's semi-autobiographical work.
Critics especially highlight the acting performances of Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels. Critical voices noted that The Squid and the Whale would say nothing and attested Baumbach weaknesses in the narrative structure. Up to December 18, 2005, the production costing around 1.5 million US dollars brought in a gross profit of almost 4.3 million US dollars.
Reviews
- “ Extremely observant, played flawlessly, adorned with penetrating emotion and ruthless honesty, he will make you laugh because you can't bear to cry. "(Los Angeles Times)
- “ Based on his own childhood, Noah Baumbach created a relentless, funny portrait of a family in crisis and a young man who is trying to make sense of his parents and himself. "(The New York Times)
- “ It's a little miracle. " (New Yorker)
- “ Without offensive cracks or reducing the acidity of his esprit, Baumbach's human film gets under your skin. "(Rolling Stone)
- “ Both literarily clever and literary in itself, 'The Squid and the Whale' refreshes the agony of divorce. "(Toronto Star)
- “ A decisive and familiar story of a family from Brooklyn that is falling apart, as the two sons tell. "(USA Today)
- “ The film makes up for the sometimes inadequate narrative structure with strong acting and ironic viewing. "(Variety)
- “ The film feels like it was written in the filmmaker's own sweat and tears. "(Washington Post)
Remarks
- Anna Paquin, who maintains a romantic and intimate relationship with Jeff Daniels in the film, had played Daniels' loving daughter in Amy and the Wild Geese nine years earlier .
- It is speculated that the character of Walt Berkman is named after the famous basketball player Walt Frazier . Frazier was a member of the New York Knicks basketball team in the early 1970s , for which the main character Bernard Berkman in the film raves.
- To look more authentic, Jeff Daniel's original clothing was provided by Noah Baumbach's father.
- The interior of the house that Jeff Daniels' character will later move into was inspired by paintings by the painter Lucian Freud . Bland yellow and green tones were used, based on old, dying plants.
- Noah Baumbach originally planned to tell the story from the perspective of two 30-year-old brothers, but then decided to move the characters into teenage years.
- One of the movie songs that takes up big space in The Squid and the Whale is Pink Floyd's Hey You . Noah Baumbach has been a big fan of the British rock band since childhood.
- The name of the British indie band Noah and the Whale refers to the film and its director.
Awards
Even before the Oscar nominations were announced, the squid and the whale were among the extended circle of favorites at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony, but could not prevail against the competition. At the award ceremony of the Oscars on March 5, 2006 , Noah Baumbach's original screenplay was nominated, which was also awarded prizes by the National Board of Review , the film critics' associations of Los Angeles , New York and Toronto , and at the Sundance Film Festival . At the Golden Globe Awards in the same year, the film was nominated in the categories of best film comedy and musical, the two main actors Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney received further nominations. At the counter-event to the Golden Globes, the Satellite Awards , Linney was named best supporting actress in a drama.
Oscar 2006
- nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category
Golden Globe Awards 2006
- nominated in the categories
- Best Film - Comedy / Musical
- Best Actor - Comedy / Musical (Jeff Daniels)
- Best Actress - Comedy / Musical (Laura Linney)
Further
- Best acting ensemble
Independent Spirit Awards 2006
- nominated in the categories
- Best movie
- Best director
- Best Actor (Jeff Daniels)
- Best Actress (Laura Linney)
- Best Supporting Actor (Jesse Eisenberg)
- Best script
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2005
- Best script
- Best original script
New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2005
- Best script
- Best Supporting Actress - Drama (Laura Linney)
- nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category
- Best director
- Best script
- nominated for the Grand Jury Prize
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2005
- Best Actress (Laura Linney)
- Best script
- nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category
literature
- Baumbach, Noah: The squid and the whale: the shooting script . New York: Newmarket Press, 2005. ISBN 1-55704-700-6 (English edition)
Web links
- The Squid and the Whale in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Certificate of Release for The Squid and the Whale . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry, May 2006 (PDF; test number: 106 139 K).