The Ice Storm

Director: Ang Lee
Writers: Rick Moody (novel), James Schamus
Stars: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, and Elijah Wood
Year: 1997
IMDB

My Rating: 8.5/10

Oh wow, this is a really nice film that I hardly hear anyone talking about it, and these young actors are actually movie superstars now. It's a dark comedy about dysfunctional families, parents having affairs, kids explore each other bodies... modern families are best described here: "that a family is like your own personal anti-matter. Your family is the void you emerge from, and the place you return to when you die. And that's the paradox - the closer you're drawn back in, the deeper into the void you go."

This film also reminds me a lot of Rabbit, John Updike's novels, and Jonathan Frazen's novels. People in your family are just... people who happen to be in your family, everyone is so disconnected, doing their own things, pursuing their own goals, fucking up their own lives. Maybe I'd read this book by Rick Moody too, for it seems to have literary qualities. Surprisingly, Ang Lee directed this film exceptionally well, with comedy subtly fitted in where it needs to be and bitterness slowly building up towards the end. It's a great film with a wonderful cast and a intriguing script.

ps. because of this film, now I understand what is "Swinging Party"... If being afraid is a crime we hang side by side at the swingin' party down the line...