By: Renee’ C.
Rating: 5 (Out of 5 Reels)
A loving mom, Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchett), becomes compelled to reconnect with her creative passions after years of sacrificing herself to her family. Her leap of faith takes her on an epic adventure that jump-starts her life and leads to her triumphant rediscovery (IMDB).
I thought this was going to be another formulaic walk through how mom realizes she is unhappy because she sacrificed her aspirations to raise children and support her husband routine. And, on the surface that is exactly what this film is but, and that is a big but, this film is so extremely well written, acted and directed it takes it to another level. It is not patronizing or sappy because she deals with her problems directly and thoughtfully without being overly sentimental. Blanchett is spectacular in her role because even though her character, on a one level, is realizing things are not great her performance is outwardly calm and collected despite her predicament.
Believe it or not, this is the first Richard Linklater film I have seen and I now have a newfound respect for his work. I am going to seek out Dazed and Confused this weekend because I am from Austin and heard it was shot here.
I cannot recommend this film highly enough for those looking for a truly excellent film about familial relationships.