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Indignation

Logan Lerman has long been a rising star in Hollywood. His first big role alongside Christian Bale and Russell Crowe in 3:10 to Yuma led him the leading role in the Percy Jackson franchise. It wasn’t until the indie hit The Perks of Being a Wallflower that his talent was noted by critics. A stand out among actors like Brad Pitt and Shia Lebouf in Fury, Lerman took a year off and has returned with not only the performance of his 24-year-old career, but one of the best this year. Indignation is based loosely on the college experience of American author Philip Roth. No stranger to Hollywood adaptations, Roth has seen novels The Human Stain and Elgy turned into major motion pictures. This just happens to be the best adaptation of his work.

The Messner family of Newark, New Jersey has watched young relatives come home in caskets from the Korean War. In 1951, a scholarship could prevent you from the draft and 19-year-old Marcus (Lerman) was at the top of his class. An only child, and dealing with his father’s separation anxiety, Marcus leaves New Jersey for Ohio, branching out of his small Jewish family circle for the first time. He intentionally left the religion section of the application blank, but still placed in a room with two other non-conformist Jews. His first date with Sarah Gadon (Olivia Hutton), one of the prettiest girls in the school, would prove a life shattering event.

Indignation will make you feel the same way Atonement (2007) did, although the stories couldn’t be more different. Composer Jay Wadley’s original score (also reminiscent of music you might find associated with a Joe Wright film) helps the audience grasp the depth of Marcus situation and certainly set the mood. There is an award worthy dialogue battle between Marcus and Dean Caudwell (Letts) which isn’t just a scene, but the films centerpiece. Both actors do some of their best work on screen, but it’s excruciating to watch and it ends with both the audience and Marcus needing a break. The big flaw here is how broken this film leaves the viewer; wanting more information, more explanation, more catharsis.

There have been so many films about the college experience, in every era and from every angle, especially from the male perspective. Somehow, Roth’s story adapted by first time director James Schamus explores a very specific perspective on the genre I haven’t seen before. This isn’t a perverse film, however it’s ironic how so much of the plot revolves around oral sex. As the inexperienced Marcus tries to understand what and why his first date ended the way it did. As the film takes shape, it explores a young man’s difficulty growing up as his parents only focus and concern and how destructive that overreaching protection and expectation can be. Never have I seen a more capable, intellectual and emotionally mature character so infected by parental/authority units. They mistakenly serve his best interests, proving to be a far more destructive force than war, women, or society.

Final Thought

Lerman & Letts give exceptional performances in a film that isn’t easy to get out of your head.

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