THE SAFEST SPACE FOR MY UNSOLICITED OPINIONS

As proof that a terrific movie doesn’t always have to last more than 120 minutes, Infinitely Polar Bear really leaves me a remarkable impression. Thought it would be very gloomy and sentimental as I first saw the trailer, but it’s absolutely more than that. The movie is emotionally captivating, personal, funny, and intimately warm.

Mark Ruffalo plays Cam Stuart, a manic depressive husband and father. After trying to stop his wife, Maggie Stuart (Zoe Saldana) and their two daughters, Amelia (Imogene Wolodarsky) and Faith (Ashley Aufderhaide) from their escape by banging the car and removing the machine abruptly, he is taken away to the psychiatric hospital’s house for temporary period. From all that happened, Maggie still convinces both children that their father is a nice guy.

The three of them then live in a lousy small apartment in spite of the fact Cam comes from a very prosperous blue-blooded family. There is no clear further mention of why they don’t get regular financial supply from his wealthy family and relatives, but Cam’s unsettled life as a result of his disorder and Maggie’s American-African background (the story takes place on 1970s) could probably be seen as the factors.

Things are about to change significantly when Maggie decides to take her MBA scholarship in Colombia to improve their standard of living. She offers Cam to move in to their apartment to take care of the kids while she only comes back to visit every weekend. Cam takes the offer to occupy himself with responsibility. Unavoidably, his bipolar disorder creates frictions between him and her highly opinionated daughters when Maggie is away. There are difficult times when they confront their father’s behavior and sudden occasional outrage.

It’s very interesting to see how these children’s characters develop, making the movie seem truer than any scripted family reality show. Likewise, Saldana is perfect to take the role as Maggie. Playing a thoughtful mother-and-wife who faces a bipolar husband in a poor family condition does not make her character miserably powerless or vulnerable. And Rufallo himself, as Cam, is successful at making a bold statement that he is one of the best actors in this era.