Indignazione

What can I say? This movie started out like a seemingly carefree experience about college life in the repressed early 1950s. Somewhere along the line, it does a complete about face and becomes an extremely serious take on pre-material sex, interfaith romance,the belief or lack of in God, the misfortunes of war and destiny. The performances were all outstanding and captured the morals and the social structure of the early 1950s. At times, some scenes were a bit long and slightly dull, but this reflects on the concept of this film....life can be dull and boring until one opens up their being to new experiences. Wuthout giving the ending away, it is a surprise and extremely depressing. I like happy endings and unfortunately, this film ending ranks as one of the most depressing in film history. Still, if you love great acting, see this film. 10 out of 10.

James Schamus adapted Philip Roth's novel INDIGNATION for the screen and directed it: the result is a slice out of the past with all the innuendos and social commentary and Americana of the 1950s intact. The film retains the flavor of Roth's writing who is said to have stated 'This will come as a great shock to young people, but in 1951 you could make it through college unscathed by oral sex.' That is but one island of realism that this film addresses and when coupled with all the myriad instances of living life in college in the time of the Korean war, the result is a firm reminder of the Edward R. Morrow television series 'You Are There'.

Set in 1951, the story follows academically gifted Marcus Messner (a brilliant Logan Lerman), the idealistic son of a humble kosher butcher Max (Danny Burstein) from Newark, N.J. Marcus leaves for Ohio to study at Winesburg, a small, conservative college, where he finds himself at odds with the administration's Dean (Tracy Letts), grapples with anti-Semitism and sexual repression and pines after the beautiful but troubled girl Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon). Marcus separates from his assigned fellow Jewish roommates, declines an invitation to be in a Jewish fraternity, has a sensitive confrontation with the school Dean over Marcus' atheism and his loathing mandatory attendance in chapel. He finally has a date with Olivia who surprises the virgin Marcus with a car seat fellatio and that act sets into motion the cultural disaffection not only at college but also with his parents: his mother (Linda Emond) visits Markus in Ohio, meets Olivia, and shares with Markus that she loathes husband Max and is in the process of divorce. Markus' humanity shines through and he persuades his mother to not divorce, an agreement reached only if Markus will never see Olivia again.

The actors assembled are all accomplished and find that core of Philip Roth's view of the world so sensitively that this is far above being just a period piece. The musical score by Jay Wadley adds flavor of the times. The ending of the film is gut wrenching on many levels and to say more would spoil the film. This is a fine adaptation of Philip Roth's style. It is immensely successful.

Well respected Producer James Schamus ("Brokeback Mountain", "HULK", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") leaps into the directors chair with ease and beauty, presenting a youth oriented torrid love story set against the Korean War. At the heart of the film is Marcus (Logan Lerman - "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" 2012), a young Jewish boy searching for the meaning of life, death and love. His attraction, Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon - "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"), is herself at odds with society. While the two fight for their existence, Dean Caudwell (Tracy Letts - Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of "Killer Joe" and "August: Osage County") and Marcus' mother Ester (Linda Emond) are present to question their every move. Under Schamus'superb direction, the film moves slowly and deliberately, enabling every nuance of each characters story to build with tension and angst, keeping the audience wondering if and when the characters may implode. Based on the novel by Philip Roth (which I haven't read), Schumas has written an outstanding story, featuring top rated dialogue exchanges between Marcus, Dean Caudwell and his mother. Set in 1951 Ohio, Cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt and Costumes by Amy Roth enable the film to feel comfortable and familiar. Marcus' classmates Philip Ettinger and Ben Rosenfield, and his father Max (Danny Bursting), are perfect contradictions to everything Marcus believes in. "Indignation" is a grown-up film that beautifully captures youth oriented angst of family, friends, love and purpose. Don't miss this one! Award recognition is sure to follow here.

I had no idea what the actual premise for this film was, but I did think it would be a period melodrama that could also prove to be overly sentimental and a little sappy. However, it really surprised me in what it actually turned out to be. It's a coming-of-age take that is different from most that we get. It's very dialogue-driven and that dialogue is just a joy to listen to. The film takes a deep look into the characters' psychologies and doesn't resort to the usual dramatics that films of this type usually do. Logan Lerman is an incredibly talented actor and he once again shows his skill here. A mature and very detailed performance.

It's so good to watch a movie where the dialog is outstanding - funny heartbreaking, frustrating and meaningful. Really listen to the dialog. There are some scenes which are just so outstanding - the first meeting in the dean' office and then when the mother talks to her son about his father and then his girlfriend. The characters are not stereotypical. The Jewish protective father instead of mother is an interesting thing to watch. Although the issues are 50s issues, this is not an old fashioned or irrelevant movie. The acting is so good I only thought about the themes and message of the story later on.

Logan Lerman's sensitive face is just right for this role. The character could seem stubborn and annoying if another actor had played him, but Logan has a likability that overcomes that. Sarah Gadon as the girl he loves is fascinating to watch as the well mannered but damaged beauty. An unforgettable character. Tracy Letts as the dean plays it just right - not a caricature of conservatism but another fascinating creature to watch. Linda Emond is restrained and effective as the worried mother.

This is a serious movie with some unexpected humor in between. A must watch - one of the best dramas in recent years.