“Boundaries,” starring Vera Farmiga, Christopher Plummer, and Lewis MacDougall, is a unique road trip film careening around the dangerous curves of honesty, anger, and resentment while searching for the signs of understanding and respite. Shana Feste writes and directs this frequently humorous father-daughter drama filled with candor, reminding us of the importance of family and forgiveness.
Laura (Farmiga) is a single mom of a teenage son with a unique artistic eye who also rescues and then lives with a menagerie of dogs and cats. Her love life is no less chaotic as she craves love yet never seems to find the right type of love or man. With her son creating havoc in school and her estranged father (Plummer) constantly calling, she attempts to find balance and understanding in her life through therapy. But the best therapy turns out to be bailing her pot-dealing father from his senior living center where he is no longer welcome.
Feste’s semi-autobiographical drama is beautiful, both visually and emotionally, capturing the traumatic scars that are visible in Laura’s life and how she raises her own son. Laura’s quirky yet lovable persona also captures our heart as we watch her struggle and make a few inexplicable decisions. Her relationships with Henry (MacDougall) is endearing as his character exhibits wisdom beyond his years, and at times, ties Laura and Jack (Plummer) together. It’s feels as if both Jack and Laura have put on the correct prescription of glasses to finally see one another for who they truly are.
The film gives us a complete story, with all three main characters experiencing growth and resolution. Given the fact that, as Feste indicated in a recent interview, this is based on her own life, the story takes on an even more touching and impactful meaning.
Farmiga’s performance gives Laura a whimsical touch as the mother who hasn’t yet resolved many of her own issues including her inability to understand her father’s lack of commitment to the family as she was growing up. She fluently conveys this as she is always questioning her every move in her adult life. Farmiga has a sense about her that is loving and kind, portraying Laura as the caregiver who never really remembers to care for herself. By the end of the film, we are so connected to her that we feel as if we know her as a friend.
Plummer, of course, is outstanding is this very unique role. Feste stated to me, this “sophisticated” Shakespearean trained actor easily pulled off the creation of a drug dealing, selfish yet remarkably lovable father and grandfather. He creates a fun-loving character while attempting to make amends with his daughter and his past. And of course, that twinkle in his eye will charm you just as Feste said her own father had.
MacDougall who you might recognize from “A Monster Calls” completely discards his Irish accent for a convincing American one, and hones in his skills as a struggling yet mature son, taking his place in helping his mother and growing up along the way. The humor in the film comes from Henry’s interactions with Jack. We see Henry’s eyes opening as he helps his grandfather deliver weed to the various customers including Henry’s own estranged father, Leonard (Bobby Cannavale). Henry, too, must deal with his own abandonment issues. MacDougall’s skilled performance is both unexpectedly heartfelt and believable. He credits this, as he said in our interview, to something he learned from Plummer and Farmiga. “I learned about the importance of not to overact. You don’t need to do that. A lot of it is in the eyes really.”
“Boundaries” is a unusual road trip film, embracing the resiliency of relationships and the importance of forgiveness and understanding. The humor and love can be felt in every scene with an ending that is wonderfully satisfying. Feste’s exceptional writing and directing along with a remarkably talented cast give this film no boundaries when it comes to understanding family. And it’ll make you want to go out and rescue a cute little furry animal, too!
To read the interview with Feste, go to FF2Media.com