As They Made Us, 2022.
Written and Directed by Mayim Bialik.
Starring Dianna Agron, Simon Helberg, Candice Bergen, Dustin Hoffman, Justin Chu Cary, Charlie Weber, Julian Gant, Anastasia Veronica Lee, Oliver Patnode, Michal Birnbaum, Sweta Keswani, Harrison Fox, John Wollman, Jeremy Kucharek, and Wesley Holloway.
SYNOPSIS:
A divorced mom tries to make peace with her dysfunctional family as she finds a second chance at love.
Writer and director Mayim Bialik’s feature-length narrative debut, As They Made Us, is a deeply personal project. There’s never once second-guessing or hesitation that it could be otherwise. That’s partially because our perception of these family members might not align with how they see each other or which parent was more destructive and arguably abusively overbearing in raising the titular siblings at the center of the story. There’s not just a complexity to the characters themselves, but an entire family dynamic that feels more like a filmmaker unpacking and sorting out this baggage as a coping mechanism rather than a hit piece searching for one individual to demonize.
To say that Abigail and Nathan (portrayed as adults by Dianna Agron and Simon Helberg, but also emotionally rich as children when played by Anastasia Veronica Lee and Oliver Patnode) come from a broken home would be an understatement. Their parents, Eugene and Barbara (legendary greats Dustin Hoffman and Candice Bergen turning in some terrific career-twilight performances), constantly swore and shouted at one another. Eugene sometimes got violent towards Abigail. Presented in flashbacks, sometimes it was a slap across the face as a child or unintentionally shoving her up against the kitchen refrigerator as an adult in an attempt to move her out of the way while seething with rage toward Nathan for considering moving out with his girlfriend Karen and already having sex with her. Some of these decisions seem to upset the frigid and neurotic Barbara more so, which also appears to be what triggers Eugene further.
Around that time, Nathan decided to escape the family, only occasionally keeping contact with Abigail. As to be imagined, Abigail was forced to bear the brunt of this emotional terrorism while trying to build a family and life for herself. Currently, she is divorced with two children, crushing on the landscaper (Justin Chu Cary) doing work outside her house, and doesn’t have the energy to stand up to anyone in her life, including her ex-husband (who is at least good with the kids and in their lives).
Some devastating news also comes for Eugene, diagnosed with a degenerative condition with an estimated six months to live. Firstly, it should be noted that Dustin Hoffman is tremendous at conveying the physical and mental toll the disease takes, significantly as it gradually limits his mobility and abilities. And as his condition worsens, Barbara’s overbearing, profusely stubborn personality heightens. Naturally, she fears the inevitable, which the script understands and affords her that empathy despite her numerous other wrongdoings and inability to release control over her adult children’s lives. Similarly, Abigail wrestles that she was never the favorite sibling or nurtured by him properly but still has an unwavering love for her father, able to see the good and how he was more rational than her mother in some ways.
There are tiny, emotional, raw moments throughout As They Made Us pulling from the complex family dynamic, such as Eugene in the presence of his selfless and loving daughter, barely able to speak, wishing he could see Nathan one last time. Nathan is unsure if he wants to see his father once more, even when the hourglass is nearly empty. He, too, is understood, for as heartless as that sounds, although he does realize his father always supported his interest in art and is partially responsible for the man he is today.
It is easy to get tangled open between who is in the right and who is in the wrong while watching As They Made Us, which feels like the point. It’s trying to do a bit too much in its third act and epilogue, with some aspects of Abigail’s life coming across as an afterthought, but for the most part, this is an emotionally raw study of generational trauma that marks Mayim Bialik as a filmmaker to put on notice.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
