Rachel Getting Married

It's too bad this film's title makes it seem like just another romantic comedy, it's the opposite of formulaic nonsense. In fact, it's a head-on collision with painfully serious questions about substance abuse and subsequent coping strategies.

Some of the drama seems thin at first because the film's structure delays a lot of the necessary exposition, but once it all comes out the motives are in place for some legitimate conflict.

The film's argument is that there are two tendencies in response to trauma: blame others or blame oneself. Is this right? Are there merely plaintiffs and defendants in matters of the soul?

The secret murderer, the real culprit, is the mother. She's the only one left out of the film's subtle arc of reconciliation, and it is her love that may have been missing from the start.

Rachel Getting Married

The Ballad of Jack and Rose

Aside from an enchanting and lyrical performance by Camilla Belle, what makes this film great is its suggestion that narcissists can evolve into better people even as they age.

On the brink of ruining his daughter's life by attempting to shelter her from capitalism and sexuality, he actually makes some progress towards a fuller humanity himself. One is reminded of the excessive lengths parents of tennis players go to in advancing the success of their children. Being raised seems like a recipe for disaster, and this film's forced tragic ending is no exception.

The Ballad of Jack and Rose