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N.Y.F.F 47th

Reviewed by Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

"Life During Wartime" is Todd Solondz's latest sharp-edged comic tragedy about families and forgiveness. It's an engrossing follow-up to his 1998 dysfunctional family flick, "Happiness." The new film featured three sisters--Joy, Trish, and Helen--whose lives had been tangled by suicide, pederasty, and success.

In "Wartime," wife Joy (Shirley Henderson) and her obscene-phone-caller husband Allen (Michael Kenneth Williams) are seen sitting in an elegant restaurant in a midst of an emotional moment in their strained relationship, Even their waitress recognizes Allen's voice as the heavy breather on the other end of the line.

Meanwhile, Trish (Allison Jenny) has her own her new love interest, Harvey (Michael Lerner), and is dutifully preparing a bar mitzvah for her son Timmy (Dylan Snyder) when she must deal with the unexpected release of her pedophile ex-husband Bill (Ciaran Hinds). Timmy had been told his father was dead, and the boy had been making his transition to adulthood through his search for his father.

Bill, however, is seeking to prove to himself that he can turn his affection away from boys, as in a blunt and rather weird attempt to sleep with an older woman (Charlotte Rampling). The third sister, Helen (Ally Sheedy), is a successful screenwriter who's decamped to Hollywood, where she hysterically and emotionally deconstructs erself.

The film tackles a bunch of pathologically screwed-up people whose search for fulfillment often comes at the expense of those around them.

Todd Solondz specializes in this kind of in-your--face story, He possesses the exceedingly uncomfortable gift of showing disturbing flashbacks to startling effect. Solondz has an ability to throw bizarre human behavior together to create family dynamics.

Written and directed by Todd Solondz; director of photography, Ed Lachman; edited by Kevin Messman; production designer, Roshelle Berliner; costumes by Catherine George; produced by Christine Kunewa Walker and Derrick Tseng; released by IFC Films. At the IFC Center, 323 Avenue of the Americas, at Third Street, Greenwich Village. Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes. This film is not rated.

Cast: Shirley Henderson (Joy), Ciaran Hinds (Bill), Gaby Hoffman (Wanda), Allison Janney (Trish), Michael Lerner (Harvey), Chris Marquette (Billy), Charlotte Rampling (Jacqueline), Rich Pecci (Mark), Paul Reubens (Andy), Ally Sheedy (Helen), Dylan Riley Snyder (Timmy), Renée Taylor (Mona) and Michael Kenneth Williams (Allen)