5/5/14

Hellion

This is a drama about grief, as a father and his two sons deal with the loss of their wife and mother, each in his own way. In this award-winning (SXSW 2014 - Gamechanger Special Mention) 2014 Seattle International Film Festival entry from the USA, we see a highly conflicted 13-year-old boy tear the family apart with escalating delinquent behavior, while his distraught father grieves with a beer in his hand. The younger boy is just trying to read "Swiss Family Robinson" but he gamely tags along on his older brother's late-night escapades.

Writer/Director Kat Chandler has managed to capture authentic adolescent behavior even when it isn't very pretty; e.g., Jacob shows Wes how to heap whipped cream on a slice of white bread and eat it; no one thinks to wash the dishes, clean the house or do the laundry. Both father and older son are inclined to walk out without a word when they become upset. I find that rude!

The cast:
  • Aaron Paul ("Breaking Bad") is Hollis, a single father who has no idea how to be a parent, so most of the responsibility falls to his older son.
  • Juliette Lewis ("August: Osage County") is the sister-in-law who calls Child Protection Services because she thinks Hollis is unable to care for his sons.
  • Josh Wiggins, in his first movie role, is Jacob, obsessed with motocross, and he has terrible taste in friends! As to taking care of his little brother, he is in way over his head. His lack of judgment is stunning...and typical.
  • Deke Garner ("Hyphen") Wes is taken from his family by CPS and placed with his aunt until his father attends family counseling and quits drinking. It was hard to tell who was more upset, Wes or his big brother.
There are scenes in this movie that are upsetting, so clearly we have come to care about these guys and want to see their lives improve. The teenagers seem to compete to see who has the worst potty mouth, and they are always roughhousing.

BTW, I had a lot of trouble hearing the dialogue. Film festival screenings do NOT have closed captions unless they are in a language other than English, so be advised.