Thumbsucker March 30, 2007

FLICS prents this film. Admission is $4.
Justin (Lou Taylor Pucci) is a teenager boy, who has an oral obsession with his thumb. His mother (Tilda Swinton) seems to be a normal housekeeper, but she has her own obsessions as well, like a crush on a TV-star (Benjamin Bratt). The only person who's aware of Justin's problem is his father (Vincent D'Onofrio), manager in a store, but none of his advices seem to be working for Justin. The kid is signed up in a debate workshop, but the thing isn't going well, because he has his mind in a pretty classmate and, of course, in his thumb, affecting all the rest of his classes. So, Justin is a loner kid in the school, who prefers to lock himself in the bathroom and suck his thumb. Justin's dentist (Keanu Reeves), a mystical-hippie person, will try to help to overcome his thumb problem, through the hypnosis. But the school's psychologist will diagnose Justin with the Attention Deficit Disorder, and will prescribe him some drugs. Suddenly, Justin's problem with his thumb will disappear, becoming an hyperactive genius, winning several debate contests and the admiration from his teacher (Vince Vaughn). Nevertheless, more serious problems will come for Justin with his mother, his father and with a drug addiction.

There was a time when, in the western world, there wasn't a word for what we now know as 'teenager'. I've no doubt everyone nevertheless experienced all those emotions and thought processes that we go through in making the transition from child to adult. Somehow now, just naming that time (being a teenager), isn't enough either for the young person themselves or anyone else dealing with them as they muddle through with their personal set of 'growing-up' issues. Thumbsucker is an absolute delight. It is down to earth, funny, insightful, moving, instructive and very engaging. This is as a result of some very fine acting of a very well crafted script from a clearly wonderful storyline. The only quibble I had was with the choice of music - for me, it mostly didn't add to or colour the action, rather the opposite. There was one exception and that was when we see Justin sitting in the orthodontists waiting room - oh yes, if you've ever been there, this is the music you'll hear where ever there is 'new age''spiritual' happy-clappy stuff on offer. Interesting that it is this, alongside the later drug treatment that provide the 'magic bullet' to stop the 'problem behaviour'. Happily, the film ends returning Justin's harmless (except to his teeth)self comforter to him. A masterful treatment of a common reality for, I suspect, more people than will be enticed to see it. The title 'Thumbsucker' seems entirely right, yet, I can see that it would put off a sizeable proportion of the potential audience. And that is a real crying shame.

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