Weightless

A sparse script with flawless performances by Newcomer Eli Haley (Will). Tender moments between his character and his father, his fish and a little girl Down the street. Joel ( the main character) has a complicated psyche that makes caring for the pre teen son he has never met seem untenable. As the plot unfolds, we see plenty of good between father and son. It is a little like reading a Sylvia Plath poem. Painful to witness, but it stirs something within. Actors Phoebe Young ( Carla) and Eli Haley are surprisingly fresh amid a cast of well seasoned performers.

This one surprised and delighted me. Weightless is one of those films that some will get nothing from and others might says its too on the nose.. I would disagree with both and says its quite subtle and meaningful. Its also one of those films where some would argue, "nothing happens".. Or, "its slow and boring". Well the idea that nothing happens isn't really accurate but I also don't think its completely false either, at least regarding the father son relationship in the beginning. The movie starts with the father and son and their non existent relationship and in a relationship that doesn't yet exist, not much can happen, can it? It takes time which is reflected as a slow burn of an experience.

The boy and his friend talk about the super hero powers they wish they could have, the boy says he wish he could be invisible. Earlier we see him with a paper bag over his head, he isn't happy with his weight and the way others see him. Later we see him shirtless and covered in animal stickers.

Throughout the film we see a goldfish in a bowl, much like the characters, the fish doesn't have much to do and not many places to go. For the boys birthday we see he has gotten a store bought cake with a decorative spider on it (spider man is supposedly his favorite superhero). The cake still has the plastic cover on it, almost replicating the fish in the bowl.

There's a lot more symbolism here that I won't get into as I don't think it needs to be explained to death but can be picked up if one cares enough to look. One of the rare movies that gave me the urge to watch it again as soon as it was over.

I agree with the comment I saw; trying to be too artsy so wonder what is the point of the film. If you're trying to be so creative that you actually don't even get the point. What does the ending mean? they were having fun together but he still going to get taken away? I don't agree with the comment that make him seem so dumb compared to others. I don't think he seems dumb, he just has issues and some people are dumber, why bring up race? And they kept you in the dark. With his girlfriend they have a talk which you can't hear and then they break up, why? Because he went to work and left his son on his birthday

Did the director go to art school and make this film all fancy just to try an avoid making an actual film worth watching? Seriously they skip so much stuff that could have helped the story and instead used visual camera tricks to progress the story. The father is a loser and the way this story is presented he remains a loser so what's the point?

Most people will miss the power message in this touching film. It forces you to feel and think with an open heart. I watch the ending scene over and over again and it brings tears to my eyes every time. Please make more films like this it's a rare gem and I loved it. Life is not perfect and we all struggle at times and at the end of the day all we can do is try to make the best with what we have.