At this time of year, people tend to go through a lot of family-related anxiety, as they reconnect with far-flung family members around the Thanksgiving table, and realize they have nothing to say to them — or worse, they have far too much to say, especially about intergenerational gaps and disagreements about religion, politics, lifestyle choices, and pretty much everything else. So a lot of families fall back on entertainment to fill the silences, pass time with a pleasurable distraction, or just give everyone something less fraught and stressful to argue about.
But then there’s the trauma of picking a movie the family can agree on, and the fear that a given movie might ignite even more family controversy. As a public service, here’s a rundown of some of the most prominent movies currently in theaters, along with the advantages and disadvantages of seeing them with family members. While we’re at it, we’ve included a few talking points for post-viewing conversation.
The film: Nocturnal Animals
The gist: Amy Adams plays a dissatisfied artist whose husband (Armie Hammer) is cheating on her. Then her long-ago husband (Jake Gyllenhaal) sends her the manuscript of a violent, tragic novel he wrote, inspired by their relationship. The film flashes back to the early days of Adams’ relationship with Gyllenhaal, but more of the movie follows the action of his book, as a husband and father (also Gyllenhaal) deals with a devastating experience.
Worth seeing? Nocturnal Animals is a strangely structured film — if you think about it, the most intense and emotional action on-screen isn’t “real,” it’s just what Adams is reading. So it’s a film about watching someone have emotions about a book, and think about the emotions that inspired it. That said, it’s an intense, moving book, with strong performances and moody visuals. Also, the book segments feature a character played by Michael Shannon, who is terrific.