In Our Nature

Narrative Spotlight
D: Brian Savelson; with Zach Gilford, John Slattery, Jena Malone, Gabrielle Union

Seth (Friday Night Lights‘ Gilford) and Andie (Malone) are two crazy Brooklyn kids in love and have stolen away to Seth’s family cabin in the Catskills for a romantic weekend. Discomfort ensues when Seth’s father, Gil (Slattery), and his girlfriend, Vicky (Union), arrive unexpectedly. The two men, whose filial relationship is deeply damaged, to say the least, circle testily around one another, making passive-aggressive jibes through conversations about food choices and materialism. Meanwhile, the two women are aghast to witness their partners’ more unsavory sides; Seth assumes a defensive pose and lashes out childishly while Gil barks at and browbeats his son, apparently his default parenting method. The scenery is lovingly shot, and the bucolic setting is a genius counterpoint to the ugliness that lurks beneath the lovers’ facades. The weak link here is Malone, who scans as a dippy rendition of Kristen Stewart with a hideous wardrobe.

Thursday, March 15, 11am, Stateside

This article appears in March 16 • 2012.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US