The Squid and the Whale

When I first learned about this movie I was excited: written by Noah Baumbach who co-authored The Life Aquatic, Dean Wareham soundtrack, and featuring Laura Linney. Even the initial previews looked promising. However the more I read about it the more I began to dread it. I didn't want to watch a harsh portrayal of a marriage breaking up.

It was harsh. But the characters were interesting, complicated, sometimes funny and well interpreted by the actors: especially Jeff Daniels and the older son. Surprisingly, Laura Linney's character was not as developed as the others.

The movie takes place in a claustrophobic Brooklyn full of narrow streets, small cars, subway stations and an indoor tennis court. There are no sweeping camera shots of spaces that allow you to take a breath as you watch the movie.

Since this was a 2005 movie it would fall in our rankings from last year and would probably push The Interpreter out of the top 5.