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Squid And The Whale

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The Squid and the Whale
A Critical Analysis
Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, this film is set in Brooklyn, New York City, 1986. Some critics claim that it is almost autobiographical of Baumbach’s life and the painful and confusing experience he went through when his own parents were in the process of divorce. The most obvious central theme of the movie is divorce and the crisis it causes within the family as each member is attempting to rearrange themselves, both inside their heads and in the outside world. Looking deeper, the film can also be seen as a coming-of-age story of two young boys, one on the verge of his teen years and the other on the verge of young adulthood. What makes this film special is just how painfully real it is, …show more content…

The beard adds to his “English professor” air and the audience tends to look at him as the bad guy who gave his wife enough reason to leave him. However, at several points in the film, one can see how hurt and lost he is. One such instance is the scene in which he takes Walt and Sophie, his girlfriend out to dinner. When Sophie reaches for her wallet, expecting Bernard to stop her and foot the bill, Bernard takes the money from her. At this point, Walt begins to become disillusioned when he realizes how stingy and uninterested in his relationships his father is. At the same time, the audience feels a surge of pity for Bernard, who is suffering financially due to his dwindling writing career, as he has to swallow his ego and take the money from the child. In another scene, in front of the children, Joan accuses Bernard of asking for joint custody of the children only in the hope of reducing his childcare bills- another blow to his …show more content…

He remembers looking at the squid and the whale exhibit in the Museum, and his mother explaining it to him. This allows Walt to go back to a time and place of security with his mother, before everything went out of control. When he revisits the exhibit, it appears as if he is seeing something that he couldn’t see before. Maybe he sees these two giant creatures as his parents, constantly at war. Maybe he realizes that picking a side is not a solution as there is no end to the battles he and his family will have to face. Maybe he finds some peace in the acknowledgement of what has happened and in the acceptance that things will never be the same. Or maybe, Walt realizes that he may be old enough and independent enough to confront his parents and see the wrong that they are doing, but at the same time, he also realizes how desperately he needs them and how closely his happiness and sadness is entangled with

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