This past weekend, I was browsing through my local video rental store. A young woman and her boyfriend were browsing as well and when they came to Jason Reitman's "Labour Day" on the shelf, I overheard the woman say that she had seen it on a flight and that it was an extremely "sad" movie. Having already viewed the film the previous weekend, I went over my impressions of the film in preparation to write this review. I would have to disagree with the statement that it is sad overall. It is at times tense, yes, bittersweet even. But in the end, it can be described as a positive, life-affirming motion picture.
Kate Winslet stars as a single mother raising her pre-teen son (Gattlin Griffith) in a Massachusetts town in the 1980's. She has social anxiety issues and seldom ventures out in public places. On an occasion where she is out grocery shopping with her son, a man (Josh Brolin) who has recently escaped from a local prison demands that she bring him back to her house so he can hide out. He takes them hostage for a while but the two become fond of one another. Soon the man is cooking and fixing things around the house. There is constant tension around what will happen to the mother and child and whether the man will be discovered by the police.
It is really simple but it works. We get to like these characters as we watch them interact. They are unique and complex. Some moments will make the viewer question the realism of the situation and whether the characters' reactions are appropriate and life-like. Because we are emotionally invested in these characters and like them, we are on the edge of our seats as to what will happen next.
There are unexpected moments and the performances are strong. I liked Brolin and Winslet's onscreen chemistry and I felt I was watching something that really happened. This film will not be everyone's taste but I was partially won-over by "Labour Day".
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