Life During Wartime

Synopsis: Separated from her incarcerated husband Bill (Hinds), Trish (Janney) is about to be married again. Bill is a pedophile, so Trish couldn't be more excited to have Harvey (Lerner), a "normal" father figure for her two sons. But when Bill is released from prison and the boys finally meet their future stepdad, the family is forced to decide whether to forgive or to forget. Trish's sister, the virginal, angelic Joy (Henderson), is also haunted by ghosts of lovers past. On leave from her degenerate husband, Allen (Williams), and her job at a New Jersey correctional facility, Joy unwittingly leaves behind a trail of shame and exposed secrets wherever she goes. In one of the film's most stylized sequences, the image of Joy walking the dark streets of Miami in her nightgown maintains her innocence against a backdrop of self-affliction and desire.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director(s): Todd Solondz
Production: IFC Films
  3 wins & 8 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.4
Metacritic:
69
Rotten Tomatoes:
68%
R
Year:
2009
98 min
$278,821
Website
531 Views


Joy?

Yeah?

You okay?

Uh-huh.

You sure?

Ever since we got here,

you seem a little... upset.

Oh, no, no.

Just a little... dj vu.

They have a lot of vegetarian options here,

you know.

Oh, I know.

And, uh, I'm happy.

Really. Promise.

Okay.

Well, I, um -

I bought you a little present.

Joy? Joy, what's wrong?

[ Sniffles ]

I -

- What? Is - Is it your period?

- No.

I'm so sorry, Allen.

It's okay.

[ Sobs ]

I'm okay.

[ Gasping ]

[ Sniffles ]

Here, let me open it now.

It's an original Gainsford reproduction.

Late 1 880s.

Oh. Where -Where did you find this?

eBay.

- Oh, Allen. You did this?

- Look at the side.

Isn't that amazing?

I found it just like that.

- [ Crying ]

- Antique.

What, you don't like it?

[ Sniffling, Crying ]

I'm sorry, Allen.

I didn't mean to.

[ Deep Breath ]

It's nothing.

You sure?

Mm-hmm. Thank you.

You're welcome.

[ Crying ]

Happy-

Happy-

Happy anniversary.

Allen. Allen, I really do like it.

I'm sorry. It's just -

You know how you always said

a person should forgive?

Forgive and forget. Yes.

Well, so I thought that

I should try to be more open.

Uh-huh.

- 'Cause I've been really trying,Joy.

- Mm-hmm.

- No more cocaine.

- Uh-uh.

- No more crack.

- Uh-uh.

- No more crack cocaine.

- Uh-uh.

No more hanging around

doing nothing without a job.

Mm-hmm.

No more sarcastic remarks

or physical attacks aimed at my boss.

Uh-huh.

No more helping old gang members

with burglaries and armed robberies.

Uh-huh.

No more getting into fights with strangers,

waking up in the gutter.

Uh-huh.

Oh,Joy. It's been

like a never-ending struggle.

And I keep fighting it,

but it's just this one thing I can't stop.

- I'm trying awful hard -

- Hello.

- Are you ready to ord -

- [ Allen Sniffles ]

Oh, sorry. Do you need some more time?

No, no. We're ready.

- Yeah.

- Um...

I was wondering if you could

please tell us if you have any specials.

Miss?

Say again?

I - I was wondering if you could please

tell us if there's any specials, I mean.

What did you say?

I - I, uh -

I was wondering if-

I know who you are.

I'm-I'm sorry. Do I know -

- [ Spits ]

- [Joy Gasps ]

- F***in' pervert!

- I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

What are you wearin' underneath,

motherfuckin' scum?

Miss, he's changed.

He doesn't do that anymore.

We even threw out the phone book.

Really. He's a different person.

His voice is the same. Motherf***er.

Allen?

You don't still -

[ Voice Quavering ]

Just -Just a little.

On Sundays.

[ Allen Sniffles ]

[ Man, Laughing ]

''What the heck are you doing?''

[ Man, Woman Laughing ]

[ Woman ]

Oh!

[ Laughing Continues ]

You know -

You know what I like about you?

What? What?

You're so... normal.

[ Sputters ]

Me?

It feels so good to be with someone

who isn't... weird.

- Or screwed up.

- [ Laughing ]

Or sicko-pervy.

- [ Sighs ]

- Oh. So, uh -

- Are your kids off at college?

- I wish.

Mine are all out of the house.

Hell, I'm out of the house.

Kicked out, that is.

Oh. Feeling lonely?

Well -

Divorce isn't easy after 3 5 years together.

Hell.

I haven't even been with a woman

outside of Marj.

I'm not sure I would, uh -

would know what to do.

Harvey. It's okay.

It's okay.

What you're feeling is normal.

I can't - I can't talk about my sex life.

- I can't talk about mine either.

- There's so much I don't understand.

Sometimes it's better not to understand.

My son, Mark- he's a great kid.

You know, he's a little troubled -

just feels a little paranoid.

But he's - he's really a very sweet kid.

I know. Good heart.

Anyway, so he moved down here.

I wanted to be near him, you know...

help him adjust,

make sure that he doesn't get...

misinterpreted.

So I moved here also.

Oh.

That is so... beautiful.

Ah, he's a beautiful son.

You're a beautiful father.

- And you're -

- Don't say it.

Say it.

Say what?

Nothing.

You look like a tulip.

Trish.

I can't afford to fail, not again.

I hate failure.

[ Waiter]

More water?

And for you?

You know, I first met Marj

on a blind date.

Bill and I met on a blind date too.

- Harvey.

- Yes?

Have you ever been to Israel?

No. No.

But it's where I want to be buried.

Oh, my God.

Me too. Me too.

[ Alarm Chirps ]

Well - [ Chuckles ]

- Um -

- Hey.

Oh, my God.

You're so not my type...

but I - I don't know

what's coming over me.

Love, Trish.

Love.

-?? [ Male Chorus Singing In Hebrew..Sacred ]

-[ Boy ] ''What Does It Mean to Become a Man?

-?? [ Continues ]

-A Bar Mitzvah Speech. ''by Timmy Maplewood.

''According to my brother. Billy.

who's in college...

becoming a man means you're ready

to take on certain responsibilities.

For example. learning to stand up

for yourself and what you believe in...

even if it means everyone will make fun of you

or say what you're doing is wrong...

or just plain hate you...

and put things up on the Internet about you

that are totally untrue.

Even if it means getting beaten up.

your face smashed in...

wedgied raw and hard

or just plain tortured.

Even if it means being kicked out of school

or arrested and put in jail.

My father always believed

in freedom and democracy.

- And ifhe were alive today-

- [ Garage Door Opening ]

- [ Door Opens, Closes ]

- Hi, Mom.

[ Sighs ]

Hi, hon.

- Chloe in bed?

- Yeah.

But how come you're back so late?

It's after midnight.

Oh, Timmy. Timmy.

What?

I'm in love.

Really? But you just met him.

I know, but -

What's he like?

Is he like Dad was?

Oh, no. He's totally different.

Harvey's, um -

Harvey's a real man.

But Dad was a real man also.

Yes, but -

I don't know how to put this,

but it's like -

[ Laughs ]

He has this power.

What do you mean?

I mean like -

[ Deep Inhale ]

He just touched me...

touched my elbow right here

just like this, and -

- And -

- And what?

I got... wet all over.

Just by touching your elbow?

I know. It sounds so strange,

and it's so hard to explain.

But it's like...

I felt things I never knew

I could feel.

Like what?

[ Sighs ]

Like -

Like a tulip just opening her petals.

You felt like a tulip?

Oh, my God. What is wrong with me?

How can I be

talking about this with you?

What? Hello!

But, Mom, why?

- Why can't you explain?

- Because.

You're still a child.

But I'm almost -

- I'm almost a man.

- [ Sighs ]

A man.

[ Sighs ]

Are you still wet?

Oh, no. I...

dried myself with a paper towel.

Now come. Let's go to bed.

?? [ Woman Singing Aria In German ]

- [ Door Buzzes ]

-?? [ Stops ]

- [ Cell Door Opens ]

- [ Inmates Chattering In Distance ]

[ Crows Cawing ]

[ Seagulls Crying ]

[ Birds Chirping ]

?? [ Woman Singing Aria ]

[ Vehicles Passing ]

- [ Faucet Runs ]

- [ Washing Hands ]

[ Exhales ]

[ Dial Tone ]

[ Beeping ]

[ Line Ringing ]

[ Phone Rings ]

Hello. Who is this, please?

Hello?

[ Timmy ]

Hello?

[Jet Engine Roaring ]

[ Woman ]

Oh,Joy!

[ Woman Crying ]

The schmuck! All men are schmucks.

Really, he's not.

We just need a little time apart

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Todd Solondz

Todd Solondz (born October 15, 1959) is an American independent film screenwriter and director known for his style of dark, thought-provoking, socially conscious satire. Solondz has been critically acclaimed for his examination of the "dark underbelly of middle class American suburbia," a reflection of his own background in New Jersey.[1] His work includes Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995), Happiness (1998), Storytelling (2001), Palindromes (2004), Life During Wartime (2009), and Dark Horse (2012). more…

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