The Savages are your family

Published on April 18, 2008

Lumière and darkness

Some people are afraid of ageing. But I think that there are loads of good points about getting old. I can’t deny that walking around without a nappy, having my own teeth and my own erections is not a huge advantage of being young, but equally I wouldn’t be disgusted at the thought of taking an early retirement.

I enjoyed (2007) because it’s a humorous take on what to do with our parents as they get older. The story centres on two siblings who are debating whether to look after their father themselves or ‘abandon’ him in a nursing home. Director almost obliges us to take the side of either the pragmatic brother, who thinks it’s best to put his father in an old people’s home, or of his idealist sister, who is drugged up on medicine and doesn’t want to be separated from her father. The SavagesTamara Jenkins

Nevertheless, the movie itself somewhat leaves aside the character of the moribund father, who is completely lost and who we meet after he has written on his bathroom wall in his own faeces.

I actually identified with the character of the little father played by Philip Busco in the movie. I imagine that when I’m older I’d love to be in a nursing home where should I not be able to look after myself, a twenty-something, curvaceous nurse would be there to lovingly soap my little balls and behind. My dinner would be propped in front of me everyday, and it would definitely be much tastier than what I could whip up for myself at that age, I wouldn’t need to clean nor make my bed, and I could play cards, playstation or watch football with my friends. We’d swap all kinds of pills, and after eating I would never dare to miss my little cup of sherry, nor a good siesta. We’d be so happy…

We could all be Mr. Savage

Whether we like it or not, we have no choice but to accept our fates and think that growing old without a family could also be pleasant. Current statistics show that in our ageing society we’d turn out to be a bunch of horny oldies itching to have fun.

For the moment it’s true that we turn to our children to look after us. It’s what Tamara Jenkins keeps coming back to in her film. She did well to count on the help of two of the best performances of 2007, with thrice Oscar-nominated actress Laura Linney, and with probably the best actor in the States nowadays, , in probably his best role since (1998), moving film in which he managed to depict the most pitiful pervert in the history of cinema. Below is a video where the actors describe shooting . Philip Seymour Hoffman “Happiness “Todd Solondz’sThe Savages