Directed by James Ponsoldt, it was also co-written by James Ponsoldt and Susan Burke. I wanted to write out the story as I remembered it but then I would be giving too much away, as I loved the movie in it's entirety. There were a number of wonderful scenes, with an outstanding performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead in her role as Kate Hannah, she portrays a mix of cheerfulness in her role as elementary school teacher, shades of dark and light as an alcoholic, layers of strength as a person set to rehabilitate herself, and the tortured soul deciding if her old life is chaining her to her addiction or her addiction is chaining her to her old life. Her confusion and later questions on whether the relationship she shares with her husband Charlie (Aaron Paul) is based on their love for drinking and partying, her guilt when she lies after vomiting (alcohol induced)in front of her students, lying to the staff, and carrying of the guilt when they assume she is pregnant and the burden of the lie are excellently portrayed, Her husband’s character played by Aaron Paul was subdued and well-acted, for him drinking strengthens his love and their time together, though it is difficult for him to accept his wife not drinking he understands that she is trying to get better, and at one point decides to accompany her without drinking himself, in a visit her mother who we find is an alcoholic too.
We see Kate struggle to accept her new goal to overcome her alcoholism and the movie captures well how she finally decides to accept her addiction and rehabilitate herself. There are a number of disturbing scenes in the movie – when Kate throws up in her classroom in front of her students and hides her guilt in a lie, when she passes out after drinking heavily one night and does not remember where she spent the night, her episode in the local convenience store when she is refused wine because of her drunken state, but these scenes are played with such grit and reality, you understand that they may be pre-requisites to us understanding and accepting her almost steely resolve to be free of her addiction.
To me addiction is a tempestuous manifestation that burns ferocious when kindled with passion, creativity, loneliness, hatred, love, sadness or boredom or permutations and mutations thereof. But it is what it is- something that cannot be controlled and whatever cannot be controlled runs rampant leading to chaos in its wake, this has been the case for me and an addiction of mine own- movies, music and reading - are so wed to me that all other activities fade into the shadows, I declare myself devoid of time to write which is my passion - yet I find time to indulge in celluloid, rhythm and verbiage none of it my creation. An addiction which secludes me yet is so global in its genesis.
Smashed, if you choose to watch it, and would like to preview the trailer it’s available online.
The few movies I have watched, which deal with different types of addiction are listed below
Don Jon- addiction to porn- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Jon
Cheers all, for those fighting an addiction hope you are able to find the strength to maintain status quo.
