I often get upset at movies or novels depicting domestic violence or any form of sexual abuse. Not that I get easily offended or anything, but these are subjects that would benefit bolder treatments because most fiction that discusses them choose to play it way too safe. Portraying a domestic abuser as a soulless fiend sure is moral, but reality is always more complicated than that. Little known indie film The Living is a crime drama about a family undermined by domestic violence that manages to draw a cold and frightening portrait of a situation many families are caught up with, yet lack the resources to overcome.
Teddy (Fran Kranz) is a rowdy and hard-drinking landscaping waking up from a binge one day alone in his house. So, he drives to his mother-in-law (the brilliant Joelle Carter)'s house to find his fiancé Molly (Jocelin Donahue) bruised and swollen. Teddy has a history of violence with Molly, but it's the first time it's been that bad. To Molly's mother and brother Gordon (Kenny Wormald) though, it was inevitable and after getting berated by his mom for not doing anything about the situation, he decides to take justice on himself and seeks out a professional hit man (Chris Mulkey) to get rid of his abusive brother-in-law.
The powerful, understated screenplay of The Living is the main reason why the movie works so well, but it's not the only one. Writer and director Jack Bryan shows the necessary restraint and control on his narrative to keep it pertinent. Last summer, Nic Pizzolatto fed the True Detective, Season 2 cast so many deep and intense lines that the series ended up coming off as corny and melodramatic, but The Living avoids falling in this trap. There are intense dialogue lines too, but they are placed at pertinent moments and the movie isn't afraid of using silence to its advantage either. The writing of The Living is both cohesive and confident, which carries this humble indie flick quite far.
Kranz and Donahue are the showstopper here.
The Living also shines through its terrific acting. I rarely mention the acting in reviews because it usually isn't what I'm interested in, but the movie here is so straightforward and minimalist that I think it was a crucial component of the movie. Fran Kranz and Jocelin Donahue sell the abusive relationship absurdly well. The beating Teddy gave Molly rang the alarm, but it didn't magically drain her feelings for him. He became the big, bad wolf for her family overnight, but not for her and this is what makes the situation so complicated. The couple here sold the penitent dynamic and the cycle of abuse so well, it was hard not to find them endearing, yet fear the inevitable fate of their attempt to get passed something too big for their relationship to keep going.
I'm not surprised to have liked The Living as much as I did. An indie movie written and directed by only one person is bound to be a solid and cohesive product, whatever it's about. Jack Bryan has a strong understanding of why domestic violence ruins families. It's something that goes way deeper than the usual bullshit romanticizing usually proposed. The Living is a cold and brutal hardboiled thriller that will reward the bravest viewers with a gut-wrenching morality play. It's one of these movies that might not be perfect, but that give indie cinema a good name. It went pretty much under everybody's radar, but don't let it get under yours.
