Kramer vs. Kramer
1979 · Directed by Robert Benton
Original language: English
- drama
The story
Ted Kramer is a career man for whom his work comes before his family. His wife Joanna cannot take this anymore, so she decides to leave him. Ted is now faced with the tasks of housekeeping and taking care of himself and their young son Billy.
What it’s like
Warm, unhurried Manhattan interiors in 1979 colour: apartment kitchens lit by flat daytime window light, cluttered breakfast tables, rain-slicked streets and a cramped Upper West Side elevator where tempers and silences hang. Director Robert Benton keeps the camera close and mostly steady, letting long scenes of dialogue play out between Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep without flourish, while the score is sparse and wistful, more a hum under the talk than a swell. The mood is bittersweet and grounded, a slow, sometimes sharp drama about a marriage ending and a father learning, awkwardly and tenderly, how to parent a small boy alone. Its arc follows two stubborn people who wound each other and slowly, painfully, find a little grace. Intensity is low: no violence or gore, some raised voices, arguments and emotional cruelty that land as sharp, adult sadness rather than shock. It suits a rainy weekend, a quiet evening, or anyone who wants a humane, character-driven story about parenthood and divorce, for viewers who enjoy restrained, emotionally honest drama.
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