Location: Oklahoma
"Sticks and Stones"
Directed by Sam Mendes
Written by Todd Field
Original Score by Thomas Newman
Main Cast
Kate Winslet- Linda Beale
Adrian Pasdar- David Beale
Kelly Bishop- Dorothy Mars
Caon Mortenson- Jeffery Beale
Tagline: "What’s your breaking point?"
Synopsis: Linda Beale was your average desperate housewife. She cooked every meal, cleaned the house, made sure the garden was intact, and bathed her son Jeffrey and put him down for his nap. The only major exception, everything was her fault. Whether it was her mother Dorothy telling her she needed to cook the meal a certain way, or her husband, David, telling her that the house needed to be cleaned better, everything was always her fault. In their eyes she couldn’t grocery shop correctly or even She was criticized to the point where if she needed to cry she had to seclude herself into the bathroom and sit on the floor in the fetal position. Because of her seclusion no one seemed to know why she killed herself, except her son Jeffrey.
Jeff was a louder child and really spoke what was on his mind. He was caring, compassionate and really knew when someone needed to be hugged. Unfortunately, not to many of his male peers, understood him. Jeff didn’t play sports or watch them. He would rather sit down and watch a musical for 2 hours than go out and play in the heat. This part of Jeff’s personality became a point at which his father could use against him seeing as David was an “All-American Male”.
So when she discovered that her husband David cheated on her with more than just one woman, it pushed her past her limit and when she brought up the courage to confront him about her knowledge he severely beat her, causing to go to the hospital. The one real regret that Linda had about killing herself was that she couldn’t defend Jeffrey anymore, he would have to learn to stick up for himself. Even though she knew that Jeff could handle Dave, she still feared that David would be come not only emotional abusive, but he would one day begin to physically abuse the 5 year old too.
Linda’s Suicide Note:
To My Dear Jeffrey: Jeff. I love you with all my heart and do not let my death control the rest of your life. I want you to go and be on Broadway and be in Films because I know it is your true passion. Do what you want in life and don’t let anybody tell you what to do, express yourself, love who you are, and love life.
To The Rest Of My Family: I had to do too much, even when I was alive; I wasn’t really living because I couldn’t disappoint anyone. Life had become unbearable, forgive me. Just know that the sadness could never have gone away. The anger could never have been healed. Lastly, never believe these words, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
I’m so sorry
Love,
Me
What the Press would say:
The trend this year seems to be to release films centered on strong woman. Naturally you would expect it to be like all the others, boring and predictable. However, Sticks and Stone is in every aspect the most powerful film of the year. Sam Mendes and wife Kate Winslet have done it yet again. The directing is to simply put it perfection, but it’s more than that. He really gets works at your heart, and this film will show if you have one or not. Winslet gives her career defining performance as Linda, the troubled young mother. All of her breakdown scenes made me cry tears even after I left the theater. Kelly Bishop takes on the role of Linda’s harsh mother Dorothy. Kelly is perfectly cast in the role and really excels as well. Bishop plays to her strengths and in a way is a dark comic relief in the film which really gives time to recover from all the heartbreaking scenes that usually take place before and after her scenes. Bishop is one of the best parts of the film and really shines. Pasdar really fits the role of abusive husband/father really well and he does some of his best work. The practically unknown Mortenson is the absolute biggest surprise of the film. He blew me away with the talent he has. It is amazing the child has never gotten a big part before in his life. The emotions he is able to portray are breathtaking and leave you astounded at the talent he has.
Todd Field has crafted a top-notch script that is one of the best ever written. You can tell that the real meat of the film comes from the first-rate screenplay and it really fires on all cylinders. The film defies gravity and gets into your heart and literally breaks it. It’s by far the bravest and best film of the year. It truly is a flat-out masterpiece, definitely the best movie of the year and classic piece of cinema.
FYC
Best Picture
Best Director- Sam Mendes
Best Actress- Kate Winslet
Best Supporting Actor- Adrian Pasdar
Best Supporting Actor- Caon Mortenson
Best Supporting Actress- Kelly Bishop
Best Original Screenplay
Best Editing
Best Original Score
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