A drama is meant to invoke our empathy or even sympathy for the struggles of our fellow human beings, and that is best gained through authenticity. To tell something trying to be authentic that it's shallow can feel conflicting, for maybe you lack the experiences or empathy to draw you in. This especially so after hearing the director speak about his passion and effort to make it authentically Wisconsin.
While I didn't grow up in Wisconsin or live the same experiences as Wayne, I did feel for the setting as I've visited and have known the often authentic and kind people of these small, countryside towns. Those kind people are portrayed well through the performances, especially that of Wayne, (David Sullivan), and Chuck, (Bill Heck). All the other cast members gave good performances, but only so well due to the lack of material given to them. The themes related to the struggles of alcoholism, parenting, family, and relationships are there, but lack further exploration. One such theme of alcoholism and relationships is portrayed with a fish bowl.
Our main character, Wayne, has a pet fish in a small bowl clouded up with algae and s***. While meaning to clean it, Wayne instead pours in fresh water, attending to clean it later. While ignoring his fish, he spends his weekends with his son. He gives his son life lessons on the fly while intending to be a better father than his own. One such lesson is how not to put out a grease fire. Soon, both responsibilities are broken. Having slept in, Wayne is woken up by the banging and yelling of his wife at the door, Wayne not having taken their son back on time. Not only pissed at him for being late, but also seeing the mess and burnt stove top, she berates him. And before leaving, she passively tells him the fish is dead; floating at the top of the filthy water he never got to cleaning out. After this incident, followed by other acts of irresponsible parenting given to us through exposition, Wayne loses custody. Afterwards, he flushes his fish away and cleans out the now empty bowl. At the end of the film, having accepted his alcoholism, the troubles it caused him, and taking some advice from his friend, he uses the empty bowl as a savings jar; putting in the cash he'd attend to use for beer so he can get a plane ticket to see his son.
If that and/or the film as a whole drew on your heart strings, I'm genuinely happy for you. However, for me, the film is like a puddle; filled with broad themes and meaning, the depth of those things only reaches up to your toes.
Not much to say for the production. While not a cheap looking film, as I said before they got the setting well and dramas typically rely on their scripts to do more of the leg work; this film lacks expressive cinematography and had a, to be forward, bad score. The cinematography goes for a technically well shot film, scenes are conveyed well enough to get the point across with the bare minimum. The score sounds like stock music and often overshadows emotional scenes that, while may have not of connected with me, drown out what could be more gripping scenes from good performers. Overall, the cinematography is bland and the soundtrack is overbearing.
Whether you agree or not, if you want to see a drama that tackles similar themes of alcoholism, family and relationships; I'd highly recommend a personal favorite of mine, Paris, Texas (1984).
While I didn't grow up in Wisconsin or live the same experiences as Wayne, I did feel for the setting as I've visited and have known the often authentic and kind people of these small, countryside towns. Those kind people are portrayed well through the performances, especially that of Wayne, (David Sullivan), and Chuck, (Bill Heck). All the other cast members gave good performances, but only so well due to the lack of material given to them. The themes related to the struggles of alcoholism, parenting, family, and relationships are there, but lack further exploration. One such theme of alcoholism and relationships is portrayed with a fish bowl.
Our main character, Wayne, has a pet fish in a small bowl clouded up with algae and s***. While meaning to clean it, Wayne instead pours in fresh water, attending to clean it later. While ignoring his fish, he spends his weekends with his son. He gives his son life lessons on the fly while intending to be a better father than his own. One such lesson is how not to put out a grease fire. Soon, both responsibilities are broken. Having slept in, Wayne is woken up by the banging and yelling of his wife at the door, Wayne not having taken their son back on time. Not only pissed at him for being late, but also seeing the mess and burnt stove top, she berates him. And before leaving, she passively tells him the fish is dead; floating at the top of the filthy water he never got to cleaning out. After this incident, followed by other acts of irresponsible parenting given to us through exposition, Wayne loses custody. Afterwards, he flushes his fish away and cleans out the now empty bowl. At the end of the film, having accepted his alcoholism, the troubles it caused him, and taking some advice from his friend, he uses the empty bowl as a savings jar; putting in the cash he'd attend to use for beer so he can get a plane ticket to see his son.
If that and/or the film as a whole drew on your heart strings, I'm genuinely happy for you. However, for me, the film is like a puddle; filled with broad themes and meaning, the depth of those things only reaches up to your toes.
Not much to say for the production. While not a cheap looking film, as I said before they got the setting well and dramas typically rely on their scripts to do more of the leg work; this film lacks expressive cinematography and had a, to be forward, bad score. The cinematography goes for a technically well shot film, scenes are conveyed well enough to get the point across with the bare minimum. The score sounds like stock music and often overshadows emotional scenes that, while may have not of connected with me, drown out what could be more gripping scenes from good performers. Overall, the cinematography is bland and the soundtrack is overbearing.
Whether you agree or not, if you want to see a drama that tackles similar themes of alcoholism, family and relationships; I'd highly recommend a personal favorite of mine, Paris, Texas (1984).