Indignation Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Indignation Blu-ray Movie Review

Goodbye, Korea.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 5, 2016

I can’t remember exactly how I finagled it, but somehow I managed to come by a copy of Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint when I was probably twelve or so, arguably way too young to really understand it. I hilariously thought it was some kind of “primer” on what it meant to be a young Jewish male in the United States, and was somewhat flabbergasted (if admittedly titillated) by the book’s frank (if outlandish) discussions of sexuality, though some of the book’s commentary on assimilation struck curiously close to my particular home. Even a twelve year old could recognize the highly individual voice of Roth’s, though, if some of the complexity of Roth’s humor and social commentary might not have been completely clear. Roth’s intimate and typically highly literary writing style hasn’t always translated easily to the world of film, however, as evidenced by Portnoy's Complaint itself, a film that bore the imprimatur of ace adapter Ernest Lehman (who also directed), but which seemed to eviscerate Roth’s pointed (if sometimes lewd) perspective. Even aspects of Goodbye, Columbus, the first cinematic adaptation of a Roth work, didn’t completely capture Roth’s distinctive outlook, though it arguably came a lot closer than Portnoy’s Complaint did. It’s perhaps instructive to note that after 1969’s Goodbye, Columbus and 1972’s Portnoy’s Complaint, films based on Roth works went through their own (near) 40 year Mosaic tour through the desert (so to speak), with The Human Stain (available on Blu-ray as part of The Human Stain / The Crossing Guard) not appearing until 2003. Elegy was released five years later in 2008, and then it was a six year stretch until The Humbling came out in 2014. Obviously, both tone and sometimes thorny subject matter have made adapting Roth a challenge of Herculean proportions, though it’s perhaps a little ironic that 2016 saw not one but two Roth sparked films emerge, Indignation and American Pastoral. Both of these 2016 efforts have certain surface similarities, documenting sea changes in American consciousness in the wake of World War II, though the main thrust of their narratives is separated by a decade or so, with Indignation focused on the early fifties. The film in fact begins with a typical Rothian device of an all knowing narrator describing the vagaries of chance which bring individuals to their death, narration which accompanies a scene in the Korean War where it appears a Korean soldier meets his fate. A brief vignette before that opening sequence has introduced an elderly woman in a retirement home, seemingly in contemporary times, and the fact that this scene documents the distribution of various pills to the residents may suggest (at least subliminally) one of Roth’s central theses in many of his works—the attempts by whatever powers that be to regiment the lives of everyday people.

That very idea of unseen forces at least attempting to control people’s lives lurks just beneath the surface of the Korean War element of Indignation, as the film settles into its early fifties milieu, and introduces Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman), who is attending the funeral of one of his erstwhile high school baseball team buddies, who has in fact been killed in Korea. Marcus has avoided following his friend’s “career path” by accepting a scholarship to the (fictional) Winesburg College in Ohio. That, however, means moving from Newark, something that Marcus is looking forward to, but which has sent his already worried parents Max (Danny Burstein) and Esther (Linda Emond) into something of an emotional tailspin.

Marcus is sequestered with two other Jewish students in a dorm room, though he’s approached by the sole Jewish fraternity on campus during rush week. He attempts to settle into college life, getting a job in the library, where he is taken by an attractive student named Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon), the very model of a modern blonde shiksa. Marcus works up the courage to ask Olivia out on a date, and she probably intentionally teases him at dinner by ordering oysters (not exactly a kosher food). She moves beyond teasing after dinner when she directs Marcus to drive into a cemetery, where she then shocks him by orally gratifying him, in just the first of several sexually charged scenes sprinkled throughout the film (the juxtaposition of sex and death isn't exactly subtle here, but it's convincing). In a kind of intentionally hilarious naivete, Marcus (courtesy of narration) comes to the conclusion that Olivia’s libertine tendencies must spring from the fact that her parents were divorced.

Playing out against the provocative Olivia storyline is another “fight the power” aspect, as Marcus comes to resent some of the strictures of the school, including the forced attendance at chapel. The university’s dean, an officious if well meaning guy named Caudwell (Tracy Letts), takes an interest in Marcus, and in what is arguably the film’s “set piece” (such as these things are in a Roth adaptation), the two have a fascinating debate about belief and orthodoxy. Suffice it to say it doesn’t end well for Marcus, though not necessarily due to any insufficient reasoning on his part, but more due to a ruptured appendix.

Indignation tips over into a bit more of a melodramatic mien in the wake of Marcus’ health scare, with Olivia showing up yet again to gratify Marcus’ sexual urges (this time manually—repeatedly) as he supposedly recovers in a hospital bed. When Marcus’ mother shows up, an awkward interchange with Olivia ensues, one which plays yet again into the whole subtext of protective parents attempting to shield their wayward children from the exigencies of life. Things continue to spiral out of control, leading to a devastating denouement (which is perhaps just slightly more fatalistic than Roth’s source novel).

Indignation marks the directing debut of James Schamus, who also adapted Roth’s novel. Schamus’ name may not ring too many bells, but he’s had a long and influential career in Hollywood, including shepherding several classics through Focus Films (which he headed), and also writing several Ang Lee films, including The Ice Storm and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Schamus therefore comes to his directorial duties perhaps better prepared than other supposed neophytes, and he invests Indignation with both a really authentic feel for time and place, but also a superb understanding of Roth’s often quixotic and conflicted characters. While Gadon’s Olivia is perhaps a bit of a cipher, one whose sudden outbursts of florid language don’t always ring true (Roth’s facility with language can make for a difficult translation into film dialogue), Lerman’s Marcus, the soul of the film, is particularly well conceived and realized. The supporting cast is also aces, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see theater icon Letts among the Best Supporting Actor nominees when next year’s Academy Award contenders are announced.

Indignation Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Indignation is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. While the IMDb is once again noticeably dataless on this shoot, there's some really interesting data available online, including this interview with cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt, where he doesn't just discuss the use of the Arri Alexa but goes into great detail about how he and James Schamus attempted to recreate the look of reversal stock from the 1950s. There's a nicely textured and deep look to much of the imagery here, with large portions of the film playing out in burnished if slightly tamped down hues that emphasize browns, beiges and yellows. Detail levels are commendably high, though (as discussed in the above linked article) there's a certain intentional softness on display since Blauvelt evidently dislikes the overly digital look of some higher resolution shoots. While there are occasional slight detail deficits in some dark or hazy shots (notably some nighttime or dimly lit shots in the hospital), overall detail levels remain consistently high throughout the presentation. Blacks are solid and contrast, while a bit quirky per Blauvelt's stylistic choices, is also consistent. Though housed on a BD-25, the transfer offers generally healthy bitrates and there are no compression anomalies of any note.

Indignation Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Indignation's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is subtle, though it offers excellent immersion in isolated sequences like the bookending Korean War moments or even the crowded chapel that Marcus so resents having to attend. Otherwise, some of the most significant spread through the surrounds comes courtesy of a very effective string laden score by Jay Wadley. The film's intimate (in more ways than one) dialogue scenes are offered cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.

Indignation Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Timeless: Connecting the Past to the Present (1080p; 6:01) is a kind of generic EPK with interviews and scenes from the film.


• Perceptions: Bringing Philip Roth to the Screen (1080p; 7:16) features some good interviews with Schamus.

Indignation Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Obviously not material for a twelve year old (as I'd hazard a guess none of Roth's material is), Indignation is thought provoking and rather emotionally resonant, though the film eschews fireworks for the most part in favor of a calmer presentation of its ideas. Nicely designed to evoke a supposedly simpler time which was anything but, the film is buoyed by a host of brilliant performances. Technical merits are strong, and Indignation comes Highly recommended.