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'The Savages'

Rated R

Starring: Laura Linney, Philip Seymour

Hoffman, Philip Bosco

Directed by Tamara Jenkins

Run time: 1 hour, 53 minutes

Earlier in 2007, audiences were confronted with "Away from Her," an excellent film that dealt with a husband's reaction to his wife slowly falling prey to Alzheimer's. Now, at the end of the year, we see how a similar disease, dementia, affects the sufferer's children.

"The Savages" is a film of pain and sadness, one that examines how the wounds of the past can carry all through our lives. Its occasional pacing problems aside, this is an incredibly honest portrait of family dynamics that will probably be difficult for some audience members dealing with older parents.

Its never explained exactly what their father (Philip Bosco) did to them in the past, but Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Wendy (Laura Linney) Savage are two siblings in their forties who are commitment phobic and working at jobs that are palatable and safe. This is upturned when they get a call from Arizona, where their father has begun his gradual descent into dementia and his wife has just passed away. Wendy and Jon take him to a nursing home in New York and as they adjust to their new life that includes him, they also confront their own personal problems and relationships in the hope that the past doesn't dominate the rest of their lives.

It's funny that the film has been advertised as a comedy, because despite some wonderfully funny moments, this is not a happy film. Most of the film is spent in quiet reflection, where glances and silences speak louder than any words could. This also means that the movie gets a little long in the tooth, and 15 minutes easily could have been cut to make a tighter and possibly more resonant film.

The film will also probably be difficult to watch for anyone who has dealt with a parent with a debilitating disease, or anyone who has adverse relationships with their siblings. The scenes in which these serious issues are confronted are nakedly honest about the way people deal with each other, and it's amazing writer and director Tamara Jenkins was able to capture these moments. The way she counters the cold depression of the New York winter with the bland interiors of the nursing home is also quite effective in conveying the depression the characters feel.

Of course, two terrific actors help her. Linney and Hoffman prove, once again, that they are among the current acting elite, both giving incredible performances that are poignant and pitch perfect. The way they confront each other, as brother and sister, is frighteningly convincing. Bosco, as the father, also does well as a man retreating into himself.

The movie is pretty downbeat and slow, so its subject matter and the pacing might turn some people off. There's also a subplot involving Wendy's attraction to a Nigerian night attendant that seems superfluous in light of the affair she's carrying on with her married neighbor.

In the end, "The Savages" is hopeful about life and the ability to carry on, but it also shows there are hard times for all of us. "The Savages" is a solid film that reflects life the way it is, and does so in an honest and realistic way.

Wes Lawson can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275 or w4027@siu.edu.

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