Demolition
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper, and Judah Lewis
Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallée
Rated: R
We're often told there are 5 stages of grief. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. While I do believe there are stages to grief I maintain the idea that everyone grieves differently. Demolition showcases a man grieving in a different and extreme way.
After Davis Mitchell (Jake Gyllenhaal) witnesses his wife's death in a traumatic car accident, he doesn't feel the sense of grief that is expected. He begins to take apart and destroy everyday objects around him. This becomes symbolic for taking apart his relationship with his wife while trying to piece everything back together.
Director Jean-Marc Vallée has always been one to focus on the depth of human emotion (Dallas Buyers Club, Wild), he continues that streak with Demolition. With Davis Mitchell, Vallée is looking at another character dealing with emotional extremes. While focusing on Davis, Demolition works. However, I felt Vallée faltered with his secondary characters in the film.
Jake Gyllenhaal is great in this film. He is able to convey a wide range of emotions as Davis. We're not sure if he is in shock, numb to the situation, or if he just didn't care about his wife. As the film progresses, we begin to see more emotional depth. It's an interesting character dynamic that the film explores deeply throughout.
Naomi Watts is fine as Karen, a costumer service rep who becomes a friend to Davis. However, my main problem with Demolition is that her storyline feels unnecessary. This is a film focused on a man's struggle with grief. His scenes with Karen feel like they belong in another film. Judah Lewis is good in this film as Chris, Karen's son. He and Davis have an interesting bond. Again, the character doesn't feel entirely cohesive with the overall story.
I found the overall plot of Demolition very interesting. Jake Gyllenhaal gives a great performance. Unfortunately, due to some unnecessary characters and clunky dialogue, the film doesn't feel cohesive enough to be a great movie.
My Rating: 6/10