This Boy's Life

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Movie
German title This Boy's Life
Original title This Boy's Life
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1993
length 115 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Michael Caton-Jones
script Robert Getchell
production Kind Linson
music Carter Burwell
camera David Watkin
cut Jim Clark
occupation

This Boy's Life (alternative long title: This Boy's Life - The Story of a Youth ) is an American drama film with Robert De Niro , Ellen Barkin and Leonardo DiCaprio from 1993. The director was Michael Caton-Jones . The plot is based on the autobiographical novel This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff from 1989.

action

The single mother Caroline Wolff and her son Tobias move through the USA in the 1950s. They live first in Florida , then in Utah , in Seattle and finally in Concrete, Washington . Caroline marries Dwight Hansen there, whom she finds charming. Dwight already has three children, two teenagers and a slightly younger daughter.

Caroline Wolff entered into marriage with Hansen because she feels neither psychologically nor financially capable of bringing up her growing son. She is a self-employed woman who is used to making a living, but her income is low. Marriage is not loving, and sex life for women is unsatisfactory, sometimes even threatening. Dwight uses his stepson as an outlet to compensate for his feelings of inferiority. In front of his new wife, he justifies his sadistic, violent and possessive behavior as a good educational measure. Tobias, who prefers to have Jack called himself, just needs a hard hand. Caroline initially wants to keep her newly secured standard of living and the security guaranteed by marriage. As the violence escalates, she chooses her son and speaks out against her husband. After an extremely rough fight between father and son, she leaves the family with her son.

By forging certificates, Tobias managed to get a scholarship for a university. Mother and son now separate and the son travels to his new school. In the credits a narrative text is running that tells how the life of all the people in the film continues. Among other things, it is reported that Tobias is thrown out of school, but later becomes a university teacher in literature himself. The title of the film is subtitled: A true story.

background

The role of Caroline Wolff Hansen was first offered to Debra Winger , who declined the role. Tobias Wolff himself said that only Robert De Niro could play the role of Hansen, because only he had the same contemptuous look as Hansen himself.

The film grossed $ 4.1 million in US cinemas .

Reviews

James Berardinelli wrote on ReelViews that Leonardo DiCaprio showed "unexpected" passion and roughness. Robert De Niro plays well as a strong, internally torn man. The viewer can identify with the characters. Berardinelli criticized that a few scenes were clichéd.

Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times of April 23, 1993 that the portrayal of Robert De Niro was one of his most succinct accounts. Leonardo DiCaprio is playing well enough to survive alongside De Niro. The film is pulling in.

Rita Kempley wrote in the Washington Post on April 23, 1993 that the film was "nostalgic," but the family was shown realistically. The portrayal of Leonardo DiCaprio gives the film its sharpness. Jonah Blechman's game is also remarkable.

According to the lexicon of international films , the film is "an impressive and coherently staged, excellently staged milieu and character study that conveys a realistic view of a small town and its intellectual narrowness".

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Certificate of Release for This Boy's Life . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , October 2011 (PDF; test number: 70 135 V).
  2. ^ Box office / business for This Boy's Life
  3. ^ Review by James Berardinelli
  4. ^ Review by Roger Ebert
  5. ^ Critique by Rita Kempley
  6. ↑ This Boy's Life. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used