James Schamus adapted Philip Roth's novel INDIGNATION for the screen and directed it: the result is a slice out of the past with all the innuendos and social commentary and Americana of the 1950s intact. The film retains the flavor of Roth's writing who is said to have stated 'This will come as a great shock to young people, but in 1951 you could make it through college unscathed by oral sex.' That is but one island of realism that this film addresses and when coupled with all the myriad instances of living life in college in the time of the Korean war, the result is a firm reminder of the Edward R. Morrow television series 'You Are There'.
Set in 1951, the story follows academically gifted Marcus Messner (a brilliant Logan Lerman), the idealistic son of a humble kosher butcher Max (Danny Burstein) from Newark, N.J. Marcus leaves for Ohio to study at Winesburg, a small, conservative college, where he finds himself at odds with the administration's Dean (Tracy Letts), grapples with anti-Semitism and sexual repression and pines after the beautiful but troubled girl Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon). Marcus separates from his assigned fellow Jewish roommates, declines an invitation to be in a Jewish fraternity, has a sensitive confrontation with the school Dean over Marcus' atheism and his loathing mandatory attendance in chapel. He finally has a date with Olivia who surprises the virgin Marcus with a car seat fellatio and that act sets into motion the cultural disaffection not only at college but also with his parents: his mother (Linda Emond) visits Markus in Ohio, meets Olivia, and shares with Markus that she loathes husband Max and is in the process of divorce. Markus' humanity shines through and he persuades his mother to not divorce, an agreement reached only if Markus will never see Olivia again.
The actors assembled are all accomplished and find that core of Philip Roth's view of the world so sensitively that this is far above being just a period piece. The musical score by Jay Wadley adds flavor of the times. The ending of the film is gut wrenching on many levels and to say more would spoil the film. This is a fine adaptation of Philip Roth's style. It is immensely successful.
