Tamara Jenkins teams up with producer Alexander Payne whose previous directorial effort, About Schmidt, explores a similar theme surrounding death’s effect on the living. This common bond and understanding led Jenkins and Payne to the doorsteps of Hoffman and Linney, who could not be more perfect in their respective roles. The chemistry is palpable as they volley the infectious dialogue to and fro; invading the audience’s collective conscious with intense emotion. Despite the award-worthy performances of this remarkable tandem, it is Jenkins who should gain the glory for this stunning piece of filmmaking.
In The Savages, Jenkins puts her stamp on cinema with intriguing direction and a beautifully written screenplay, which certainly deserved its Oscar nomination. Jenkins’ method is well-conceived offering settings and shot selections fraught with visual meaning and metaphor. However, she never steps beyond her own level of directorial skill and allows her taut and effectual script to take main stage. Multiple themes weave in and out of her narrative resulting in powerful commentary on not only the metamorphosis triggered by death, but on society’s struggles with dependence. Jenkins also adds to the intellectual composition by turning to the famous German playwright and theatre director Bertolt Brecht (see The Lives of Others). In a wonderful scene, Jon Savage (a college professor) learns of his father’s demise while in the middle of a lecture on Brecht and one student asks the difference between plot and narrative. One can look to The Savages for an answer as it leaves the trite, plot-driven film prototype behind and abandons the pop culture crutch for the resonating existence of art.