User Reviews

Hal Holbrook, as reliably strong an actor as they come, plays Paul Steward, a successful publisher of a scientific journal, and married with three children. The character is introduced to the audience as he begins what will become a tragic day, his gloomy narration immediately setting the tone for the film and, in no uncertain terms, announcing that he intends to kill his family and himself. One of the first hints of Paul's dementia is when he climbs into bed with his sleeping wife, Miriam (Louise Fletcher, tremendous), and masturbates against her back. Waking, she blithely asks for a tissue; clearly she is not new to this routine.

Through his matter-of-fact recitations of a life lived, Paul reveals that his marriage to Miriam is in tatters, partly because she suffered a nervous breakdown years earlier and has not recovered. He describes how he feels estranged from his kids (of whom we learn virtually nothing), and that his work no longer yields even marginal satisfaction. He is implacably unhappy and an inveterate existentialist. Throughout the fateful day chronicled, Paul behaves with finality, summarily and cavalierly rejecting articles proffered for his magazine, spending his lunch hour in an orgiastic session at a nearby brothel, then listening halfheartedly as his friend, Harry (Jose Ferrer, outstanding in a small role), a Holocaust survivor who takes note of Paul's despair, tries to counsel him.

NATURAL ENEMIES is deeply, deeply pessimistic. Any glimmer of hope, of which there are few, is quickly usurped by obsidian darkness. Especially depressing is the final scene, in which Miriam, aware of her husband's violent ideation, makes a heartfelt, lucid plea for his heart and mind. Paul listens, stone-faced, before the shot freeze-frames on him, and the soundtrack crackles with a news report of the mass-murder-suicide to come. Writer-Director Kanew, who has yet to again craft something as substantial as this, handles the sensitive material with the earnestness it requires, and he has a top-flight cast to buttress his work. The dialogue is rife with meaningful ruminations on the origins of happiness. A false note is the script's implicit contention that such familial slaughters were epidemic at the time (not true, despite such high-profile contemporary cases as those of John List and Brad Bishop), and the dubious conclusion that these acts stem from patriarchal society's dim view of the chances a man's family has should he become incapacitated mentally or physically.

I have had the good fortune to have seen a handful of movies that have really stirred an emotion in me - lingered with me for years. 'Natural Enemies' is no different. As a young single man, this film has such a profound effect on me. Never has such a film effected me since I seen 'The Fire Within (1963)'. Paul (played by Hal Holbrook) and Miriam (played by Louise Fletcher) are in a loveless marriage bereft of any happiness. Miriam suffers from clinical depression and was hospitalized several times. Paul is an intelligent middle-aged man who is a magazine editor who has noticed in the papers, many murder-suicides perpetrated by the father - murdering their entire family and then themselves. He pays five hookers to fulfill a final fantasy before killing himself and his family.

'Natural Enemies' is a deeply affecting tour DE force. It does resemble 'My Dinner with Andre (1981)' in that similar issues and ideas are discussed about society and where it is heading. There are many thought-provoking discussions throughout the film where Paul's friends and acquaintances try to reason with him but his counterarguments are so methodical and well-thought out that they have nothing to add. The first of such meetings is with an astronaut about the possibility of him writing an article. What ensues is an intoxicating contemplative discussion about what it was like up on the moon and how that loneliness up there is like the loneliness that we carry around every day. Paul concludes that no matter what you do in your life you will never have a moment up there like that again and how sad that is. Paul meets his friend who is a Holocaust survivor who is frustrated that so many have forgotten the horrors of Nazi Germany and Paul retorts in a thought-provoking statement: "what were you expecting? Outrage? This in 1978 the youth care only about tennis and discos!"...chilling. He gets a Taxi and yet another profound discussion ensues. The taxi-driver states that life in the city has gone to the dogs. The Taxi-driver went to a doctor complaining with a pain in his stomach and his doctor said that it was because of the times. This shouldn't be. He met his friend again, the Holocaust survivor at a diner where his friend was worried about his intentions to kill his family and himself. The survivor was trying to reason with him - to no avail - he said that he knew all too well what death was but Paul said that "life today is not all that different from the Holocaust." That what was the point in continuing when life was misery and what was the point in having children when they don't talk to you? What was the point in running after women and money? At the end of the conversation his friend thought he was getting somewhere with him only for Paul to state that "what is the point in killing myself? I am dead already." Only for his friend to shake his head in disappointment. He couldn't get through to him.

Even thou their marriage was dead, they still needed each other. They still hung on to each other like when Paul found Miriam hysterical on the floor, shouting.."I WANT TO DIE", Paul comforted her. Miriam was frantically trying to stop Paul from killing himself. They needed each other. The would be lost without each other. They fall into each others unhappiness as into a well. At the bottom is a great sun that warms the earth. They are use to conformity and familiarity and you introduce change to their lives and you have introduced the downward spiral. 'Natural Enemies' haunts me. It is sad that it is so unknown. Under 100 votes - it is fair to say that you won't see a film like it again. I certainly won't.