The Squid and the Whale

Brooklyn, 1986. The air hangs thick with unspoken resentments, much like the cigarette smoke clinging to the vintage furniture in the Berkman household. Joan Berkman, a writer on the verge of a breakthrough, quietly simmers under the critical gaze of her husband, Bernard, a once-celebrated author clinging to his fading glory. Their strained intellectual sparring is a constant soundtrack to the lives of their two sons. Walt, the elder, fiercely loyal to his father, parrots Bernard’s condescending pronouncements on art and life, while younger Frank acts out in ways that betray a deeper, more confused hurt. As Joan’s star rises and Bernard’s ego crumbles, the already fragile ecosystem of their family begins to shatter, setting the stage for a bitter divorce that will force Walt and Frank to navigate the treacherous waters of loyalty, identity, and the painful unraveling of their parents’ love.

Movie Overview

Movie Cast

Storyline

In 1980s Brooklyn, the seemingly intellectual and verbose Berkman family is torn apart when Joan Berkman, a burgeoning writer, decides to separate from her pretentious and once-successful novelist husband, Bernard Berkman. Their two sons, the elder Walt Berkman, a fiercely competitive teenager emulating his father’s intellectual arrogance, and the younger Frank Berkman, grapple with the emotional fallout of their parents’ dissolving marriage. As Bernard’s ego struggles with Joan’s newfound literary success and subsequent relationship with Ivan, their tennis instructor, the boys are caught in the crossfire of their parents’ bitter rivalry, forced to navigate divided loyalties and contradictory values. Walt begins to act out, plagiarizing his literary work while attempting to impress his girlfriend Lili, and Frank’s behavior spirals into concerning territory, reflecting the breakdown of their family unit. The film culminates with Walt experiencing a panic attack at the Museum of Natural History in front of the titular Squid and the Whale exhibit, symbolizing his overwhelming fear and confusion, leading to a moment of catharsis as he begins to confront his father’s influence and acknowledge his own vulnerabilities, while the family slowly starts to redefine itself amidst the wreckage of their shattered past.

Details

In 1986 Brooklyn, the Berkman family is torn apart as intellectual sparring gives way to divorce in Noah Baumbach’s poignant dramedy, “The Squid and the Whale.” At the center of the turmoil are two young brothers, Walt Berkman, played by Jesse Eisenberg, a teenager blindly emulating his pretentious academic father, and his younger brother Frank Berkman played by Owen Kline, struggling to navigate the confusing and painful changes. Their parents, Bernard Berkman, a once-promising novelist portrayed by Jeff Daniels, and Joan Berkman, an emerging writer embodied by Laura Linney, grapple with their failing marriage and burgeoning individual ambitions. As Bernard clings to his fading glory, Joan finds literary success, further fueling the resentment and competition within the family. The film explores themes of intellectual arrogance, sibling rivalry, and the devastating impact of divorce on children as both Walt and Frank exhibit increasingly erratic behavior, from Walt’s plagiarism to Frank’s acting out. Meanwhile, Joan begins a relationship with Ivan, played by William Baldwin, offering a stark contrast to Bernard’s self-absorbed intellectualism. Through sharp dialogue and raw emotion, “The Squid and the Whale” offers a darkly humorous yet deeply affecting portrait of a family grappling with identity, loyalty, and the painful realities of growing up amidst fractured relationships.

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