That might sound like emotionally exhausting stuff, but this small
indie has a surprisingly light touch. Writer-director Richard Ledes is
more interested in capturing the stirring moments of family life than he
is in heavy-handed exploration.
The elderly couple at the center, Fred and Susan (Ruby Sparks’ Elliott Gould and Choke’s Judith Roberts), reside in a comfortable home in upstate New York, but their living situation clearly isn’t tenable for long. Susan has Alzheimer’s; the help of a caregiver (newcomer Mfoniso Udofia) is not quite sufficient; and Fred, while mentally alert (mostly), is increasingly frustrated by — and impatient with — his wife’s deterioration.
Enter their adult children from New York City, who arrive with plans to take them to an assisted-living center closer to them in the city. Carol (Stephanie Roth Haberle, Deception), a therapist by trade, takes a gentle approach with her folks, while brother Bob (Fred Melamed, A Serious Man) is impatient with Fred’s refusal to go.
Some viewers might be equally impatient with Fred’s casual pace and listless plot. The film is slight, but not without modest rewards. Gould and Roberts give warm, engaging performances, with Gould finding an especially nice balance between humor and melancholy. If only Ledes’ script had been as up to the task. —Phil Bacharach
Hey! Read This:
• A Serious Man film review
• Ruby Sparks film review
