The Squid and the Whale
2005 · Directed by Noah Baumbach
Original language: English
- comedy
- drama
The story
Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.
What it’s like
Handheld, jittery camera that stays close to faces in cramped Brooklyn apartments, with a washed, slightly desaturated palette of beige walls, tweed jackets, and overcast grey light through apartment and brownstone windows. The 1980s setting shows in its ordinary details: dusty tennis courts, Natural History Museum corridors, a record collection and typewriter on the desk. Its score is sparse and jaunty, mostly Lou Reed and a few light piano cues, and there are long stretches where the room is quiet except for bickering. Vibe: dry, wry, bruised, and warm underneath, the feeling of a school-night afternoon in a house where everyone is pretending they're fine. The humor is sharp and frequently uncomfortable, built on cutting remarks and characters who are self-absorbed without being villains. Pacing is brisk and conversational, with scenes that end on a wince more often than a resolution. Its emotional arc follows two brothers each absorbing their parents' separation in their own, badly behaved way, while the adults flail through affairs, pretension, and resentment. Intensity is low: a few arguments turn physical, there is some teenage sexual talk and drinking, and no gore. For people who like character-driven family comedy with a sad edge, the kind that stings a little on a grey weekend.
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