Stars: Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Garner, Beverly D'Angelo
Storyline
Howard has a loving wife (Garner), two daughters, a prestigious job as a Manhattan lawyer, and a comfortable home in the suburbs. But inwardly he's suffocating, and eventually he snaps and goes into hiding in his garage attic leaving his family to wonder what happened to him. He observes them from his window - an outsider spying in on his own life - as the days of exile stretch into months. Is it possible to go back to the way things were?
Cast: Bryan Cranston -
Howard Wakefield
Jennifer Garner -
Diana Wakefield
Beverly D'Angelo -
Babs
Jason O'Mara -
Dirk Morrison
Ian Anthony Dale -
Ben Jacobs
Pippa Bennett-Warner -
Emily
Ellery Sprayberry -
Giselle
Monica Lawson -
Ellen
Isaac Leyva -
Herbert
Victoria Bruno -
Taylor
Derek Alvarado -
Male Cop
(as Derek Weston)
Frederick Keeve -
Professor
Bill Timoney -
Homeless Man
Alexander Zale -
Dr. Sondervan
Eliza Coleman -
Gleaner
Filming Locations: Colonial Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Filmed in 20 days. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 9/10
Modern adults flirt with this idea of leaving everything behind and
starting again from scratch, this kind of ideology has been used in
pieces of Americana to include tales of the mountain man. A single
solitary figure who is seemingly in control of his own destiny, even if
it's a solitary one. "Wakefield" is a film that negotiates these ideas
of solitude, abandonment and puts a voyeuristic spin on the concept.
Writer and director Robin Swicord known for writing such great films as
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008) "The Jane Austen Book
Club" (2007) and "Memoirs of a Geisha" (2005) brings her adaptation of
loneliness and love to the big screen in "Wakefield".
Howard Wakefield (Brian Cranston) is a successful attorney who
specializes in litigation, although a quite lucrative profession it
does not stimulate Howard in a way that is fulfilling. Howards has a
wife Diana Wakefield (Jennifer Garner) and a pair of twin daughters who
how feels resents him. Day in and day out Howard feels as if his
contributions to the family are either unnoticed or under appreciated.
Until one day things change and a power outage and long day at work
leads him to seek refuge in the garage, where he stays.
Quickly the world of Howard turns from the bustling and safe life of a
New York attorney, husband and father of two, to a secluded hermit.
Spying on his former life from the discomforts of his own garage. Robin
Swicord's adaptation of a short story from E.L. Doctrow comes to life
as a film whom convention is void. Having been shot over 21 days
"Wakefield" show cases the true magic in movie making by being able to
do so much with so little time. The scenes of Cranston looking through
the garage at his family where filmed in entirely different locations
as the Garner scenes. Having to rely on the use of a video monitor
Cranston invoked the raw emotions of a self-displaced father falling in
love with his family again.
The Wakefield story has no rhyme or reason to its insanity, yet it
voices the idea of alienation that fathers can feel in an all-female
household. There is a disconnect that Howard internalizes, this is
undeniable in its existence. This alienation is so strong that the
allure of freedom seems lucrative to him, and when he gets his chance,
he grabs it. Freedom is expensive, and Howard quickly and all to easily
learns humbling lessons of survival, which ultimately teaches him the
meaning as well as the cost of freedom. The story of Howard is a story
of self-discovery, through pain, learning to be comfortable being
uncomfortable. This new found ideology of freedom gives him a new
outlook on the world around him which ultimately effects Howards
outlook on life itself.
Wonderfully shot and done with a modest budget, "Wakefield" is a joy to
watch, with all the unconventionality of "Benjamin Button" there is a
window opened up in the soul of a suburban white male who has had
enough. As unique a story as Swicord presents, it is not far off of the
minds of fathers across the nation that often flirt or fantasize with
the idea of under appreciation and the joy of watching others try and
pick up the void their absence leaves behind.
Ultimately "Wakefield" is about abandoning all that is held sacred in
search of a true meaning of self. The idea that Howard can leave
everything behind is liberating and ultimately sets him free. But the
real question the film asks, is what will he do with this new found
freedom? Brian Cranston plays a convincing modern mountain man, so well
that its uneasy to watch how effortlessly he can simply walk away from
his family, his life and all that he has spent years creating, and
perfecting. The story plays out like a house of cards tumbling to the
floor, there is a recognition of how much work went into creating it,
yet it is exhilarating and strangely fulfilling to watch it all fall
down. Wakefield is this strange sense of fulfillment, that leaves a
sense of happiness through chaos. Sometimes it's fun to flirt with
madness and anarchy, sometimes it's just fun to let the whole house
come crashing down.
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