Cinema: "Thumbsucker"

"Thumbsucker” is one of those american sort of independent and alternative films which bring some fresh air into american cinema. It is an honest and funny look at the struggles of people who feel deeply flawed, both those in youth and in middle age. They yearn to be anything but their real selves with their real fears and doubts. Instead, they want to be “normal.” They look for magic answers to fix themselves – only to realize that they can’t be someone else, that “normal” does not exist, and that their flaws are what make them human and loveable.

THUMBSUCKER is directed by newcomer Mike Mills, who also adapted the film from the novel by Walter Kirn. It is served by a set of excellent actors. Lou Pucci, the main character, won Best Actor prizes at the Berlin and Sundance Film festivals

The film is like an independent production with relative small budget. It is “different”, profound yet funny, a bit scary as well, sharp, witty and somehow provocative while endearing. Highly recommended !

Synopsis

Justin Cobb (LOU PUCCI) still sucks his thumb at 17. He wants to stop and knows that his thumbsucking is disrupting his family, his love life and his identity. The only thing that changes his behavior is hypnosis therapy administered by his “guru” orthodontist. But while Justin felt this would solve all his problems and he would finally be “normal,” his troubles were really just beginning. Soon Justin spirals into manic behavior, is diagnosed with ADHD (hyperactive behaviour) and is put on drugs, which become a substitute for his thumb. When the high of the prescription drugs and a newfound success at school crash, Justin turns to pot and sex to replace his thumb… His father Mike (VINCENT D’ONOFRIO) is himself shadowed by the sad twists of youth: a broken college football career apparently sidelined by a knee injury. His wife Audrey (TILDA SWINTON) wonders how she could possibly be “grown up” with a son going to college. She seems to be asking “How did I get here?” and “Is this all there is?” In her early 40s, she is, like Justin, struggling to find out who she is and to accept her shortcomings. As a mother she knows that she doesn’t have all the answers to Justin’s troubles, and that she is sometimes too busy dealing with her own doubts to help him. Audrey hides from these realities through an obsession with a TV heartthrob, Matt Schraam (BENJAMIN BRATT). Justin turns to others outside his family for help and to get some answers. His New Age orthodontist, Perry Lyman (KEANU REEVES), seems to mirror Justin’s ups and downs and becomes sort of a spiritual guide...

[from the films website]