Karlovy Vary 2010: Todd Solondz’s Life During Wartime

Todd Solondz has been known to dissect American bourgeoisie and dig out all the dirt they are hiding. His style is unique, and his fan-base will appreciate the new mail in his chain. Preemed at Venice and TIFF, what is unique about Life During Wartime and widely known, is that the original set of characters aren’t played by the same actors, but in every other way, the players channel the same DNA as in the 1998 hit Happiness. Father is out of jail, looking for a way back into his family’s life, his young boy is now older, and in college, and his younger brother is taking his place in the asking of the questions. Offer folks struggling in life include, not surprisingly the trio of sisters.

Solondz’s direction is meticulous, here he takes a step back though, allegedly trivializing the horrific reality, but in reality, he emphasizes the inability of the bourgeoisie to cope with teenage sexuality in particular, and with sexuality in general. Only problem is that Life During Wartime is a continuation of the same ideas – emblematic in the opening scene, which is identical to the opening scene of “Happiness”. This might be another victory for the filmmaker, but if this becomes trilogy then even fans might get tired of him.