What Becomes of the Children? – A Slippery Slope of Feels and Fika

So, I basically stumbled into What Becomes of the Children? like you crash into an unexpected snowstorm in late April – one minute you’re fine, then suddenly there’s confusion and wet socks. The director, Jane Rosenthal (yeah, the same one who worked with Scorsese ages ago – wild), brings such a weird combo of warmth and trembling anxiety that sometimes I didn’t know if I should laugh, call my mum, or make another pot of coffee.

You can’t talk about this one without mentioning Julianne Moore and Samuel L. Jackson tossing dialogue like a ping-pong match at midsommar. The scenes with the kids – especially that subway piece with the crying baby – actually made me flinch. Honest to god, I remembered that time at T-Centralen when my cousin’s kid started sobbing and everyone pretended not to see anything. Same awkward energy here, just with Oscar-winners.

But you know, some things felt off. I mean, Moore’s accent… was she going for New Jersey or London? Not sure. And half the scenes had me thinking “wait, what year is this supposed to be?” Producer Lisa Churgin is usually sharp, but even a Swedish kanelbulle gets dry if you leave it out too long. Some parts dragged just a bit. Like, do we need three scenes of Jackson looking soulfully at a goldfish? Maybe. Maybe not.

There’s this raw, gutty feeling to the film that hits a bit too close, like the first time you realize your parents mess up sometimes too. If you’re a sucker for messy family stuff and quiet heartbreaks, give it a spin. If not, well, there’s always hockey.

Still thinking about that goldfish, hmm.

watch the full movie on Mavshack Movies on YouTube

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