Review // August: Osage County

August: Osage County opens with a beautifully shot montage of the Plains of Oklahoma. These landscape images are a common thread in the film, establishing the isolation of the Weston household.  We’re quickly introduced to the patriarch of the Weston family, Beverley (Sam Sheppard) a gentle, well-spoken, alcoholic. He is hiring Johnna (Misty Upham) as a nurse and caretaker for his wife, Violet (Meryl Streep), who suffers from cancer as well as an addiction to prescription pills. This sweet and defeated man is the catalyst for the catastrophic family reunion to come.

Beverly’s sudden disappearance and subsequent suicide puts in motion a reunion of the Weston clan which includes his three daughters, Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), Karen (Juliette Lewis) and Barbara (Julia Roberts) who returns to Oklahoma with her husband, Bill (Ewan McGregor), and 14 year old daughter, Jean (Abigail Breslin). The reunion also includes Violet’s sister Mattie Fae (Margot Martindale), her husband and Beverly’s close friend Charles Aiken (Chris Cooper) and their son Little Charles played by Benedict Cumberbatch. New to the family is Karen’s “man of the year” Steve (Dermot Mulroney) who is instantly disliked by his soon to be mother-in-law. Beverly’s removal from the family leaves them noticeably fractured. With him gone, there is no longer a buffer preventing the intimidating Violet from bullying her family. What starts as a family squabble quickly escalates into a full out brawl exposing family secrets, including those that should have been buried with Beverly.

The chemistry between the star studded cast is incredible. The natural way in which the actors play off one another makes it easy to believe that they are a real family. Streep gives yet another amazing performance as the cruel drug addled matriarch, while Roberts matches her intensity as the hardened eldest daughter. With these two actresses leading the cast it’s easy to overlook the other standouts in the ensemble however, Martindale’s incredibly natural Mattie Fae and Nicholson’s understated performance as the downtrodden underappreciated middle sister deserve attention. Cumberbatch surprises, playing out of type as the family black sheep Little Charles.  His heart warming portrayal of the meek underdog is bound to win a few more Cumberbitches (seriously, Cumberbatch fans call themselves Cumberbitches).

What’s even more impressive than the cast is the script by Tracy Letts. Originally written for the stage Letts does an admirable job adapting his Broadway success for the screen. A script with 11 fully fleshed out characters, including 7 dynamic roles for women, is an undoubtable boon for the actors, and director John Wells does not squander the opportunity. Another major character is the massive Weston home. The film was shot on location in a real house in Oklahoma, which adds to the charm of the setting. The once proud house – which holds in it’s walls all of the secrets of the Weston girls – is now in a state of disrepair, reflecting the state of the broken family. Wells opted for simple scene compositions with little camera movement. Images of the rural countryside intermingle with family portraits, towering bookshelves and the clutter amassed in the well lived house to establish the setting while progressing the narrative. The steady pacing is disrupted twice. First, when the fight breaks out at dinner and again, when the camera moves out of character to follow Johnna as she marches through the house weapon in hand to come to the aide of Jean.

August: Osage County is a well-made film. It has an incredible script matched by a talented cast and a narrative approach that blends well with the cinematic style of the film.Wells captures a beautiful, heart-breaking portrait of a completely dysfunctional family, a family that makes me thankful for the one I have.

Check out the trailer for August: Osage County here.

Review by Vithiya Murugadas.

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