Indignation: A slightly tarnished gem

Ian Murdock

Special to The Village News

In the post Oscar months, it is, normally, exceedingly challenging to find quality dramas - 2016 has been no exception. Fortunately, a few weeks ago I saw a preview for a film that would qualify - part of that standard, truth be told, includes no regrets for having paid full theater prices.

Some of the great movies ever made tell "seemingly simple" life stories. Of course, what puts these mundane stories on a revered level, is the writers and directors ability to integrate deeply emotional characters with complicated, and often conflicted, life choices – frequently challenging a characters upbringing and beliefs, as well as the pressures arising from societal and moral perceptions. Indignation is one such film.

With an understated but exceptional cast – and by that I mean no typical Hollywood stars – this film lays out what could be any individuals life.

Set in the time frame of the Korean War, a boy, raised of Jewish faith in New Jersey, commences the next chapter of his young life in a Midwestern college town – facing all the different life choices and experiences that this scenario will present.

With what some might consider a slow start to the film, the writer and director achieve their goal, establishing depth in the characters on the screen. Dragging or not – and that is not a view I profess – any late aged high school teen would surely feel at home watching the parental exchanges that occur.

Among several powerful messages and lessons that the film provides, at the forefront is a romantic tale – revolving around an intense couple. Its layers of uncertainty leave the audience questioning the individuals motives – and there in lies some of the complexity of the film, and the desire for truth and revelation.

Confused, possibly curious young adults, or true love. While the film takes you on the journey of this relationship – albeit with more sexually explicit scenes than normally accompany a film of this genre – it also examines many aspects of growing up, and does so with clever and thought provoking dialogue.

The acting – across the board – was superb. From the leading man and female, to the parents, Dean of the College, and even the boys roommates at school, they all left a haunting and memorable mark. The one drawback, of an otherwise deeply moving story, was the highly rushed ending. Trying to reconcile this hasty finish is a head scratcher, and though it slightly diminishes the films overall greatness, it in no way eclipses the impact the film delivers.

Due to the abrupt finish, viewers are left assuming some of the outcome, though there seems little debate as to what happened. Nevertheless, when one continues to examine scenes and character interaction days after leaving the theater, rest assured, a fine movie has been made.

Indignation, though not for everyone, certainly constitutes a fine drama for the purists of this genre, and is a gem (even if slightly tarnished).