A little ‘Acrimony’
ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS are never easy. Whether it’s the start of something new, or the struggle of a lifelong commitment, the bonds we share with others have several moments that frighten us. We take risks for the comfort of companionship. But what happens when that risk doesn’t pay off?
The trust and vulnerability you show to someone can be taken advantage of, stepped on, and cast aside like ancient history. At that point, people tend to get a little mad.
But a little mad is an understatement, as suggested by this film — Acrimony . A little mad is what you get when someone forgets your birthday two years in a row. In Acrimony, Taraji P. Henson, who plays the main character, Melinda, is a being of pure wrath. She is the avatar for women everywhere with their own tales of bad relationships (through, I suspect, none quite as bad as the one seen here).
The film opens with Henson giving a look that would not only kill, but also maim and torture. You get a sense of why she is so angry, as the movie reveals the details of an 18-year marriage filled with compromises. You can definitely feel her pain, even if you don’t believe much of what you are seeing.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE
Acrimony is not a film predicated on believability, coherence, or legitimacy.
It is populated with some of the worst moments a couple can go through — exaggerateded to the point of parody,albeit in a wildly entertaining fashion. There are true moments of poignance in Acrimony. Melinda herself describes her inability to be mad without being lambasted as a stereotype. In the beginning, the film actually had the potential to be taken seriously.
To critique the unbalanced dynamic in a relationship, and give a voice to women who have felt that their pain wasn’t acknowledged?
Too bad that by the end, the film tarnishes all its soberness, and instead, takes a deep dive into slasher-movie territory. I’d say catch it on cable, but there’s nothing like a loud, rambunctious crowd to make a bad movie better.
Rating: Half Price