“This one is a Requiem for Motherhood. It may not be an uplifting message but it will leave an impact which reflects its power and how good Byrne’s acting really is.”
Con Nats
3.5 ceiling holes
13 Nov
With a comical title, Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brian and Christian Slater in the cast, you’d be forgiven for expecting a light comedy. This had darkly comic edges but this is anything but that. Rose Byrne takes a central role in this psychological thriller.
Linda is the mother of a daughter who has a chronic illness that has her being fed intravenously as she doesn’t want to eat. Her husband is away on an eight-week job when a big hole opens up in the ceiling of their home due to a burst water pipe so they move to a motel. She is overwhelmed and sees her psychotherapist (Conan O’Brien) almost daily which is kind of awkward as they share the same offices. (She’s a psychotherapist as well.)
Linda likes a drink and a joint and to take walks when her daughter is sleeping. but the pressure on her keeps mounting. Her daughter’s doctor is concerned she’s not attending classes for the parents. The parking attendant harasses her daily. Even the motel desk clerk won’t sell her alcohol without ID and Jamie (A$AP Rocky), the motel employee, is making eyes at her. Her husband James (Christian Slater) is a demanding voice on the phone, and then one of her patients has a meltdown and leaves her crying baby behind. Overwhelmed is an understatement.
Writer-Director Marie Bronstein has taken an interesting visual angle to this project. Byrne is the centre of this universe. From the opening scene, the camera focuses exclusively on Byrne’s face and zooms in. Almost everyone else of consequence, including her daughter, are voices off-screen. You’ll need to be comfortable with looking at Byrne’s face as it fills so many shots you’ll soon know every skin pore.
We do see Conan in wider shots and he’s surprisingly good as her therapist. Comedians make the best dramatic actors as they know how and where to punch good dialogue. Rocky is also great in support. But this is Rose Byrne’s film and she rises to the challenge. It plays with her perception cleverly at times and she only lets emotions take over in one scene, otherwise she’s very restrained. This is easily her best performance yet and won her a Silver Bear at The Berlin Fim Festival.
The script is an unrelenting one. It’s a gradual decline into madness which is powerful but wrought. It has echoes of Requiem for a Dream. This one is a Requiem for Motherhood. It may not be an uplifting message but it will leave an impact which reflects its power and how good Byrne’s acting really is.
3.5 Ceiling Holes
Con Nats, On The Screen
