Noah Pritzker's Quitters reminds me a lot of another American independent film I saw earlier this year, The Automatic Hate. While these two films have very little in common from a story, character, and thematic perspective, both films are infectiously brazen in how they tap into uncomfortable aspects of human emotion. Centered around a dysfunctional family, specifically Ben, the teenage son, Noah Pritzker's Quitters reveals how damaging emotional trauma can be on the psyche of any individual, as the story reveals subtly and sometimes not-so-subtly, the sources of Clark's emotional pain that is related to feeling like part of a failed family. In the opening sequence we are introduced to Clark's mother, an emotionally unstable woman who appears to be suffering from some severe form of mental instability or chemical imbalance. With her seeking rehab, Clark becomes further despondent, having absolutely no one to talk to outside of his father, a man who he sees as primarily responsible. The film never goes into complete detail about the father's treatment of Clark's mother, but as the film progresses it becomes clear that much of Clark's behavior, which even borders on sociopathic at times, is directly related to his inability to externalize his own frustrations about his dysfunctional family, and his father's selfishness being the root cause. After his mother goes to rehab, Clark instantly struggles to control his emotions, internalizing his anger and frustration, while simultaneously becoming vulnerable in how he immediately seeks companionship in the form of a girlfriend. This sends his presumably best friend, Etta down her own path of self-discovery when she rejects his overbearing talk of love and companionship that is clearly out of line, given their age and the nature of their relationship. Even at school Clark's interactions exhibit a sense of frustration and angst, with one memorable scene being how he attempts to comprehend why he got a B+ for his paper, poking and prodding his teacher about intricacies of grading an essay, attempting to comprehend on an ordinal scale as his teacher explains that emotion is a very important aspect that is hard to define. Quitters' brazen nature comes out when Clark essentially attempts to find a new family unit through the courting of Natalie, another classmate. Clark says and does all the right things but it becomes increasingly apparent that Clark's love is not directly related to Natalie but more about her family, one he perceives as sophisticated and well put together. I describe this behavior as sociopathic because as the film progresses, Clark becomes uncomfortably close to Natalie's parents, forming an unhealthy relationship in which he is treating them as a surrogate for his own. Quitters is a film that really forces the audience into an uncomfortable situation, watching this awkwardly unfold in a way that touches on Clark's internalized anger towards his father and his situation in life. Perhaps the best way to describe Quitters brazen style is pulp psychology, being a film that pushes the envelope of what is comfortable for a drama, in order to examine emotional trauma, mental illness, and family dysfunction. Featuring strong performances from everyone involved, Quitters' may not be the most intelligent film about a complicated issue but it's an emotionally entrancing one, mainly due to its bold storytelling.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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