Daddy Longlegs [Import]

"Daddy Longlegs" (retitled, thankfully, from the bizarre "Go Get Some Rosemary") is a tiny indie that seems extremely personal to its makers. A deft look at father love and irresponsibility, there are moments within the film that will surely resonate with anyone who experienced a less than ideal upbringing. I, personally, identified with this underdog story in which you root for the characters--but, ultimately, realize that your investment is futile. Anyone seeking life affirming lessons or tremendous character growth will undoubtedly have to look elsewhere--"Daddy Longlegs" doesn't offer much hope for redemption. It makes a strong case for the power of love, but an equally persuasive argument that sometimes that's just not enough. And while I appreciated much of the film, "Daddy Longlegs" may not be for everyone with its dissection of what makes a family happy as opposed to what is actually healthy.

The movie is owned, quite literally, by Ronald Bronstein. Playing hapless Lenny, the divorced father of two boys who he will have for two weeks of vacation, Bronstein commands the screen with unbridled enthusiasm. Energetic and excited, Lenny is thrilled to reconnect with his boys. Playful as a friend, but not particularly effective as a parent, Lenny has trouble balancing the needs of his children with the demands of work and the pressures of a relationship. Impulsive, and borderline insane, Lenny doesn't comprehend the repercussions of his offbeat choices. And as things start falling apart, his manic energy manifests itself as anger and hostility--and he seems virtually unable to distinguish right from wrong in his increasing desperation. It's a powerhouse performance and Bronstein is ALWAYS a compelling reason to stay connected to "Daddy Longlegs." However, the other characters remain more aloof and so the film seems to lack a sane center.

While the boys do give heartfelt performances, they aren't particularly distinguished as individuals. They are mere props to Lenny's story, so some of the power and emotional connectivity of the film is missing. In a undeniably unsettling sequence, the boys experience a medical situation (I'm being purposefully vague) that might leave them unconscious for days and/or weeks and the consulted doctor doesn't even recommend hospitalization. Lenny is fine with this decision, he doesn't want to get into trouble, but I'm more intrigued by that doctor and Lenny's girlfriend who seem to believe it's okay for the boys to be comatose without proper care. In the end, we hope that Lenny experiences some realizations or life lessons to make him a stronger man and father--but there are no quick fixes here. So, without any character arc, the film ends in much the same place as it began. There is talent behind the film, and Bronstein is a powerhouse, but this unpleasant slice of life is sadly missing the context to make it a great film. Ultimately, I liked "Daddy Longlegs"--but it didn't deliver the emotional impact it was capable of. KGHarris, 1/11.

`Daddy Longlegs' reminds me a tad of 2008's `Wendy and Lucy', not in the story but in the overall tone and development. Both films delve into the complex state of internal loneliness and the innate need to find something to bring us closure. Where Wendy had her dog Lucy, and the thought of being separated from her brought her immense internal torment; Lenny has his children.

Lenny is a divorced father of two. He is immature and impulsive. He only gets to see his sons for two weeks out of the year, and he spends those weeks juggling his responsibilities (which he often shrugs aside) with his play time, which includes philandering with strangers and drinking, a lot. `Daddy Longlegs' follows the few weeks he has with his boys and shows the emotional depth Lenny possesses in his person. Lenny is a boy, not yet a man, who doesn't understand how to balance his duty as a father with his innate need to be a friend to his boys. He is careless and insensitive yet protective and loving. He sees his position as `father' as a blessing but he fails to understand that it is also a responsibility. As Lenny shuffles his kids around, handing them off to seemingly perfect strangers so as to carry on with his life as if they weren't there, we can see how the weight of parenthood has not fully rested on this man (possibly because of his overall lack of time spent with them). Still, as impractical as he is, Lenny's love for his children is often displayed with sincerity, keeping this man a rich example of what adolescent parenting can result in (although he is far from a child himself, he surely represents those `youthful' at heart).

The film's largest strength comes in the form of Ronald Bronstein. His performance as Lenny is magnetic and charismatic, full of a jovial life and presence that is never betrayed by a deeper understanding of his character's emotional flaws. The way he shifts, so effortlessly, from selfishness to frantic concern is authentic and deeply moving. It is a `small' performance in that Bronstein really finds the subtleness of his character, living in the moment and not allowing the moments themselves to oversell his character.

This film is not without flaw though. I found the film's conclusion to be a tad underdeveloped. It seemed a little jumpy, unfocused and confused and I found myself unsure of what was really taking place. I also found the dream sequence to be an awkward spot, something that was necessary to convey the point being made since Bronstein himself had been making that point the entire film (he builds those layers so marvelously). Still, like `Wendy and Lucy', `Daddy Longlegs' is a film that will say with you because the poignancy of the plot is so reaching. The film is anticlimactic on purpose because this isn't a film that goes anywhere specific; it is a film that captures a moment in time. All consequences are left for the audience to ascertain on their own.

[...] This review contains spoilers [...] Watch the film first before reading this [...]

Created by newcomer brothers Ben and Joshua Safdie, 'Daddy Longlegs' was shot on 16 millimeter and has the appearance of a film created in the late 70s (it seems like this is when the film is supposed to take place). It's up for the John Cassavettes Award as part of the independent cinema Spirit Awards in 2011 and reminds one of a Cassavettes film, shot in a cinema verite style, with partially a jazz score underneath. I recently heard the Safdies speak about the film in person and they indicated that it's loosely based on experiences with their father who divorced their mother years ago.

Daddy Longlegs is about a ne'er-do-well by the name of Lenny played by first-time actor Ronald Bronstein. Lenny is divorced from his wife and gets to spend two weeks out of the year with his 7 and 9 year old children, Sage and Frey (played by Sage and Frey Ranaldo in real life). Bronstein remained in character even when not on the set--for example when he visited Sage and Frey at their real school!

Daddy Longlegs is the portrait of a parent who obviously loves his children, but through his irresponsible behavior, ultimately places their lives in jeopardy. When we first meet Lenny, he defensively argues with the school principal who has taken the children out of school for picking fights with other kids. Lenny does crazy things like walking on his hands across the street with the children. After having an argument with his girlfriend, he picks up another woman and goes to bed with her. He then convinces this woman, a virtual stranger, to drive upstate with her boyfriend and brings the kids along on a mini-vacation.

We then experience more examples of bizarre parenting from Lenny. He places a lizard inside a cereal box as a prize for the boys; an acquaintance comes over and ends up sleeping with Lenny in his bed (it's not clear whether they have sex); and he's mugged by a man on the street at gunpoint but fails to mention the incident to the children. Lenny also takes unnecessary risks when he's with adults: he hangs out with his bizarre girlfriend who insists on meeting him at the next train stop by walking through a subway tunnel; he also hangs out with undesirable companions and they all get arrested one night for making graffiti.

The crisis of the film's second act occurs after Lenny is unable to find a babysitter for the children but must show up at his job as a projectionist. He ends up giving the kids what he thinks is a small dosage of sedatives but they fail to wake up in the morning. A doctor friend comes over and informs Lenny that the children are okay but in a coma which they might not wake up from for a couple of days or even a week. You've really got to your suspend your disbelief that a doctor wouldn't have called the police in this situation. As it turns out, all's well that ends well when the children wake up after being out cold for about two days.

The film's denouement occurs when Lenny decides to abduct the children and move to a new apartment. The Safdies indicate that this actually happened to them at the hands of their father but ultimately he wasn't arrested in real life. In most child abduction cases, the offending parent is much more cunning than the impulsive Lenny. What happens is the children are usually taken out of state. Here, Lenny remains in New York City, where presumably he will be ultimately caught and arrested for child abduction.

There's are some very nice things about 'Daddy Longlegs', particularly Bronstein's performance as the irresponsible parent. The Safdies also utilize quite a number of non-professional actors to very good effect in this film. On the down side, the film's cinema verite style is dated and I hope that the Safdies will be able to prove they're capable of shooting in different genres and styles in the future. Finally, the other characters in the film are virtual ciphers; they have no back story and are only there to highlight Lenny's impulsivity and idiosyncrasies.

Perhaps the most admirable aspect of Daddy Longlegs is the creators' forgiving nature. Despite not being treated very well by their father as children, they have managed to forgive him as adults and in the fictional arena, have created a complex portrait of a fictional father who is both loving and cruel at the same time.