I can't wait to finally get the chance to watch this. It's pretty much next in my queue.

OMG I loved this film too.

Watched this yesterday and completely agree. It's the first contemporary film I've rated as high as 9/10 in well over a year. Lonergan juggled the tones of the story beautifully. I was lucky enough to have avoided spoilers so THAT scene to which you refer, somewhere in the middle of the film, was a bolt from the blue which left me physically shaking. All of the performances are exceptional (exception: Gretchen Mol and Matthew Broderick. Their scene seemed awkward and out of step with the film's rhythm. I could have done without it. But this is a small complaint). Casey Affleck, though, gives us a major piece of character acting here, one of the best in an American movie of recent years.

@rudely_murray said:

Watched this yesterday and completely agree. It's the first contemporary film I've rated as high as 9/10 in well over a year. Lonergan juggled the tones of the story beautifully. I was lucky enough to have avoided spoilers so THAT scene to which you refer, somewhere in the middle of the film, was a bolt from the blue which left me physically shaking. All of the performances are exceptional (exception: Gretchen Mol and Matthew Broderick. Their scene seemed awkward and out of step with the film's rhythm. I could have done without it. But this is a small complaint). Casey Affleck, though, gives us a major piece of character acting here, one of the best in an American movie of recent years.

i guess he wanted to show that he would do pretty much anything to get rid off him, even approving visit of alcoholic mother and considering her, though she fell for alcohol again (sound of bottles when she left room and husband rushing there and later answering email instead of mother)

Wonderful movie. I was also able to steer clear of spoilers so I had no idea what happened to his kids. When they showed him with his family, I kept on wondering where they were. I figured he and his wife split and she took the kids. Then I was trying to figure out what he could have done that she would keep them away from him. I was not expecting the fire. I was as shocked as Lee was. Then he tried to commit suicide at the police station and I basically lost it.

Anyways, beautiful film. It's one of those movies that will stick with me for quite some time.

@Markoff said:

can't imagine how can he keep on living pointless life after causing death of his children (no blame), there is nothing really there for him, why he keeps living? I know he tried to kill himself in police station, but what made him to change his mind and sorta keep surviving, but not really living, is this his punishment, doing menial job without any pleasure (no women/relationship) and trying to get into fights to get at least some beatings for what he has done, when police didn't put him in jail?

Maybe he saw that as his penance?

I gave this 5 stars. Well written story that rings true.

@Markoff said: The scene when he met his wife with stroller and she was apologizing was heartwrecking

The scene of the family fire was unfortunate, and yet for some odd reason, this scene stirred the most emotion from me. I didn't cry, but it certainly was close in seeing what the incident did to both of them and her trying to apologize and breaking up her tone as he started getting emotional as well. All in all, it was a very good scene

This really was an excellent film. Not a 9/10 for me, but really good storytelling. Casey Affleck was a distraction for me and I don't know why (and I was shocked to learn he won Best Actor for the role). But the film itself was beautifully done.

@Daddie0 said:

This really was an excellent film. Not a 9/10 for me, but really good storytelling. Casey Affleck was a distraction for me and I don't know why (and I was shocked to learn he won Best Actor for the role). But the film itself was beautifully done.

May I ask why his Oscar win shocked you or in what way he was a distraction? I think he's the best winner in that category for quite some time, and I applaud that they went with his beautifully underplayed role.

@rudely_murray said:

@Daddie0 said:

This really was an excellent film. Not a 9/10 for me, but really good storytelling. Casey Affleck was a distraction for me and I don't know why (and I was shocked to learn he won Best Actor for the role). But the film itself was beautifully done.

May I ask why his Oscar win shocked you or in what way he was a distraction? I think he's the best winner in that category for quite some time, and I applaud that they went with his beautifully underplayed role.

To be fair, I've not seen the other contenders (to my knowledge), and I don't particularly follow the Academy closely. As to why I found him distracting...I don't know...I just felt like I was watching Casey Affleck as Casey Affleck. He is likable enough, but I didn't really see him dissolve into his role. The film and his character were terse, but I'm just saying I kept finding myself saying,"Yep, that's Casey Affleck." instead of "Wow, that's [insert his character's name here]."

@Daddie0 said:

@rudely_murray said:

@Daddie0 said:

This really was an excellent film. Not a 9/10 for me, but really good storytelling. Casey Affleck was a distraction for me and I don't know why (and I was shocked to learn he won Best Actor for the role). But the film itself was beautifully done.

May I ask why his Oscar win shocked you or in what way he was a distraction? I think he's the best winner in that category for quite some time, and I applaud that they went with his beautifully underplayed role.

To be fair, I've not seen the other contenders (to my knowledge), and I don't particularly follow the Academy closely. As to why I found him distracting...I don't know...I just felt like I was watching Casey Affleck as Casey Affleck. He is likable enough, but I didn't really see him dissolve into his role. The film and his character were terse, but I'm just saying I kept finding myself saying,"Yep, that's Casey Affleck." instead of "Wow, that's [insert his character's name here]."

Fair enough. I felt the opposite - this was a true character performance, not calling attention to itself at all, and a far cry from the flashy performances they tend to reward with Oscars. For me, this is one of the strongest performances in an American movie from the past few years.

So far I've only seen Gosling and Mortensen from the other contenders and while both are good, Affleck towers above them. I really loved his performance and his win (along with Lonergan's screenplay prize) was the happiest of the night for me.

I'm inclined to agree that Affleck's performance was a tour-de-force, but I would take issue with it towering above Mortensen's role in Captain Fantastic. Of the two films, I think I was actually more affected by the latter, much as this was also extraordinarily impressive.

@silverhawkins said:

I'm inclined to agree that Affleck's performance was a tour-de-force, but I would take issue with it towering above Mortensen's role in Captain Fantastic. Of the two films, I think I was actually more affected by the latter, much as this was also extraordinarily impressive.

I like Mortensen, and he (along with the very impressive kid actors) did what he could, but I was not hugely impressed with his work in Captain Fantastic. The character was so poorly written that he had little to work with. And we were meant to root for this obnoxious a- hole who routinely put his children in danger. Affleck's performance, for me, is one to remember, and - for the first time since, perhaps, Sean Penn in Milk - my favourite lead male performance of the year actually took home the Oscar. I was happy.

I do hope that Mortensen receives his due soon with a nomination and win for a role worthy of his great talent and charisma.

@rudely_murray said:

I do hope that Mortensen receives his due soon with a nomination and win for a role worthy of his great talent and charisma.

I agree, but his chances are slim on the ground. In the last two years he's only done one film, and as far as I know, he's not lined up to work on anything for release this year either. I love the guy's acting but, like so many great artists, he's not as prolific as he ought to be!