Disfluency

I caught this film during its theatrical release at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. It is a compelling story that unfolds in a unique and innovative way, keeping the viewer engaged with trying to understand "what happened" to the main character, Jane, as she works through it herself along with the characters around her.

At its heart it is about communication: what we say to each other, how we say it, and what happens in those in-between spaces that are also telling us something.

The movie is emotional but also enjoyable to watch as it draws us into the this world on a small Michigan lake and the way it feels to be in your early 20s, not a teenager any more, but only at the beginning of adulthood.

I highly recommend this movie viewers of all ages. It is a well-produced and well told gem of a film, the type that doesn't come around very often. Hopefully we will see more from writer-director Anna Baumgarten, an emerging talent that will be one to watch as her film career continues.

Disfluency is a powerful film about healing but also a commentary on how traumatic and horrific events are so commonplace in our society that they become no more than a "um" or "whatever" or "sorry"...a mere "interruption" in life, devoid of any real meaning - a disfluency of sorts which is defined in the first 5 minutes of the movie. Jane, the main character in Disfluency has suffered a traumatic event and the film depicts her struggles with dealing with what happened to her. Her body, soul and mind tells her that what happened was horrible. She is having PTSD from it. She flunked out of college due to it. However, despite all this, she questions if maybe she is making a big deal out of nothing. But it does not feel like nothing to her. She can't even talk about it to anyone. Her internal struggle and ambivalence prevents her from healing. Ultimately she HAS to face what happened to her and accept the fact that it WAS a horrible thing and not her fault before she begins to heal. Seeking justice plays no or very little role in the healing process because that, in and of itself, is futile given the society we live in today. The film resonated with me because Jane in the film is only 22 and does not yet have had the life experiences that hardens people. It is a sad commentary of our times when things like theft, infidelity, rape, abuse are dismissed as lightly as the "um's" and "sorry's" in speech, and viewed as a mere "interruption" in life. A disfluency.

I really loved this movie!! Great characters and actors with an important main storyline message, but a lot of fun little subplots to keep the movie lite and fun. Love the friendship between the main character and the teen-ish Mom with the little boy. I really loved the father/daughter relationship as well as the sister relationship. The actor that played the girl's Dad was especially great!!! The main actress was also really good. She reminded me of Lacey Chabert back in her "Party of Five" or "All My Children" days. These characters would be great as a regular family TV series. There are so few good ones out there right now - if any.