The Savages (DVD)

...gets a phone call from the people in charge of her father's care - he has been smearing his own faeces on the walls and they are concerned about his health. Then his girlfriend, with whom he has lived for twenty years, dies, and he needs somewhere to live. Jon and Wendy are forced to put their feelings for their father behind them and cope with the fact that he has dementia. Will they be able to cope with his increasing health problems and vulnerability? ...
...having seen About Schmidt and The Bucket List, which deal with death and growing old, I thought I had seen more than enough. However, I am a big fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman - he's definitely in my top ten list of favourite actors - and so I succumbed. And although it is a depressing film, I'm glad that I took the time to see it. The performances are great and there are some moments of comedy to lift the mood; these are much-needed at times.
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Jon and Wendy Savage have never been close to their father - they had an abusive childhood at his hands after their mother ran away and wasn't there to help them out. Then Wendy gets a phone call from the people in charge of her father's care - he has been smearing his own faeces on the walls and they are concerned about his health. Then his girlfriend, with whom he has lived for twenty years, dies, and he needs somewhere to live. Jon and Wendy are forced to put their feelings for their father behind them and cope with the fact that he has dementia. Will they be able to cope with his increasing health problems and vulnerability? And what about their own problems, many of which are a result of their father's abuse?

I have to admit that watching films about people getting old and being unable to look after themselves is not my favourite pastime. My grandmother is increasingly in this position and so it I find it deeply depressing. And having seen About Schmidt and The Bucket List, which deal with death and growing old, I thought I had seen more than enough. However, I am a big fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman - he's definitely in my top ten list of favourite actors - and so I succumbed. And although it is a depressing film, I'm glad that I took the time to see it. The performances are great and there are some moments of comedy to lift the mood; these are much-needed at times.

As Jon, Philip Seymour Hoffman certainly didn't disappoint. Jon is a University professor of drama, and seems to be very successful at it. His life, however, is tainted by his relationship with his father, and although he has been with his Polish girlfriend for three years, he is unable to commit to marriage, even though her visa has run out and she will have to return to Poland unless he marries her. Seymour Hoffman is completely convincing in the role. He is not the best looking of men, yet he has a way of reaching out to his audience - or me, at least - and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. As the film progresses, I could really see what Kasia, his Polish girlfriend, saw in him despite all his faults.

Laura Linney is not an actress that ever really sticks in my mind, and I'm not entirely sure why, because I do think she is a good actress. Wendy is a worrier, never really able to settle. She wants to be a playwright, but hasn't managed to hit the big-time; as it is, she is stuck in a dull job that bores her. She has difficulty committing too, and is in a relationship with a married man who calls round to have sex when his wife thinks he is out walking the dog. Linney manages to portray all of this sensitively, but without going over the top. I loved her relationship with her on-screen brother - it all felt really natural, with their sniping at each other covering up the fact that they were actually very fond of each other. I could really believe they were brother and sister.

I have to mention Philip Bosco who plays Jon and Wendy's father, Lenny Savage. He doesn't have that much screen-time, but when he does, he really fills the screen. Suffering from dementia, he often behaves strangely, becoming very aggressive and attracting a lot of attention when out in public. Bosco gives a great performance. I'm not familiar with him as an actor, although he has been in Law & Order and Damages, so some will recognise him, and know that he doesn't really have dementia - yet he was completely convincing - almost scarily so.

I liked the injection of humour that the writer and director, Tamara Jenkins, fed into the film. Some of this surrounded Lennie and his dementia, yet it never felt that he was being laughed at - it was sympathetic humour if you know what I mean. This humour really did help make the film a lot better than it otherwise would have been - the subject is so depressing that I would have found it very hard to watch otherwise. It is worth noting that, along with Lenny's illness, comes a lot of talk about toilet stuff - obviously, you won't want to be watching it while you're eating your dinner! And there is a lot of bad language that may offend some. On the whole though, I thought a difficult topic was very sensitively handled.

On the subject of sensitive topics, there is a certain amount of racism in the film. Lenny's carers are mostly black, and obviously a number of the other patients are too, yet Lenny sees fit to show an old black and white film to everyone that shows a white man dressing up as a black man. Some members of the audience were deeply offended. I doubt that the director was trying to do anything other than show that people with dementia can be incredibly tactless at times, it may offend some.

What I liked most of all about the film was the way that the relationship between Jon and Wendy developed during the course of the film and they helped each other to sort out their personal problems. It isn't exactly a happily ever after film, but it is a very realistic one. Perhaps it is because I am much of an age as Wendy and Jon and I could really see some similarities between their life and mine, but I really felt a connection with them and I found the film deeply thought-provoking. I can see, however, that a younger audience could find it dull and pointless - without meaning to sound patronising, I think it all depends on life experience and sensitivity to other people's problems.

There are a number of special features. The first is about the Savage family - how the writer and director came up with their characters and how the actors fit into their roles. It's not vital viewing, and at 20 minutes is too long, but it is quite interesting. Then there are a couple of extended scenes, which are certainly not vital viewing, and are largely pointless. Thirdly, there is a selection of director's photos, if you like that sort of thing. Finally, there's a Fox promotional extra, which basically gives the website address for previews, behind the scenes news and new DVD releases.

I don't think this film is for everyone. It looks at a sensitive topic that many people would rather avoid thinking about until they have to - and I can completely understand that - without Philip Seymour Hoffman's presence, I doubt I would have watched it at all. However, I'm glad I did watch it. It didn't light up the world for me, although it did receive Oscar nominations, as well as other awards, but it is a very well-made film with some great performances. If you think you can stomach the subject of dementia and caring for the elderly, it is definitely worth a watch sometime. Recommended.

The DVD is available from play.com for £4.99.

Classification: 15

Running time: 114 minutes 

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