Downhill

Verdict

😮‍💨

A mumblecore-inspired take on what I assume was a much better film.

Thoughts (spoilers)

Well, I certainly wouldn't recommend it.... However, it still has value. It still has a message, and, somewhat surprisingly, a decent conclusion.

What could have been improved:

• The film should have focused solely on Billy (the mother), because she was the protagonist in the end. In the beginning, the film suggested that the father was the protagonist, what with his greater screen-time, and with his endearing hamfisted dinner conversation.
• I'm disappointed that the father was mostly inept; his ineptitude made him a fairly one-dimensional character: the clueless coward.

What I liked:

• I'm a big fan of The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and this film is reminiscent of the themes therein.
• It was easy, and illuminating, to put yourself in either parents' shoes. The film warranted introspection.
• I anticipated Will Ferrell schlock, and got a real film with actual themes and interesting personal situations.

I will definitely have to watch the original, "Force Majeure." Because I almost liked this film.