The Squid and the Whale Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Squid and the Whale Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 8, 2017

Noah Baumbach's "The Squid and the Whale" (2005) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; exclusive new video interview with Jeff Daniels; new filmed conversation between director Noan Baumbach and composers Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips; archival footage from auditions; and a more. The release also arrives with a 36-page illustrated booklet featuring Kent Jones' essay "4 Way Street", "Noah Baumbach" by Jonathan Lethem, and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

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It is immediately obvious that the family is falling apart. The parents look angry and bitter and there is some very heavy static between them that pushes them even further apart. The two boys are reluctant observers who are getting ready to pick a side. Eventually, their feelings and emotions overwhelm them and all four turn against each other.

The film quickly evolves into one big autopsy report that identifies the many reasons behind the collapse of the family. We learn from it that Bernard (Jeff Daniels) is an invidious writer who can’t stomach the fact that his wife Joan (Laura Linney) has started receiving much better feedback on her writings. It is why he also constantly feels the urge to confront her on the tennis court and at home -- as pathetic as it may be each victory against Joan restores his belief that it is only a matter of time before someone also appreciates his talent.

We also discover that Joan hasn’t had a favorable opinion of her relationship with Bernard for quite some time and has secretly experimented with different partners. With Bernard becoming more aggressive and her writing career finally taking off, she has come to the conclusion that there is a lot more that she can gain if she agrees to end their marriage.

Then we learn that the family drama has been a mixed blessing for the boys. The older one, Walt (Jesse Eisenberg), has started investigating the true reasons behind his father’s frustration and discovered that his (over)reactions have been mostly justified. But his father’s candid words about women and their games have also dampened his enthusiasm about his new girlfriend Sophie (Halley Feiffer), who has quickly revealed that she wants to be in an exciting but ‘meaningful’ relationship with him. The younger one, Frank (Owen Kline), has figured out that the drama between his parents has created a vacuum in the family that has given him an unprecedented freedom to experiment with alcohol and annoy a lot of the people he genuinely dislikes. But the boy has also started realizing that freedom comes with a lot of the same maddening responsibilities that have fueled the feud between his parents.

Noah Baumbach is almost certainly fond of Maurice Pialat’s work because the fluid balance between comedy and drama in The Squid and the Whale is very similar to the one that typically defines the French auteur’s films. However, Baumbach also adds a solid dose of the eccentricity that thrives in Wes Anderson’s films which brings an entirely different atmosphere. (Anderson was one of the film’s producers so this probably shouldn’t be too surprising). The end result is a frequently genuinely unpredictable film of odd contrasts that has the potential to impress and annoy equally large groups of viewers.

The most polarizing element of this film, however, is the manner in which it pursues authenticity. For example, when the parents and the two boys are forced to accept the consequences of their actions, they tend to use very colorful language to express their frustration that basically eliminates all traditional barriers that separate children from adults. This is done to solidify the ‘authentic’ image of a modern family from Brooklyn that has categorically rejected the supposedly 'outdated' social filters. The whole thing feels very tacky and actually has the exact opposite effect. It is painfully obvious that the material is very carefully scripted and rehearsed and the presentation could not be any more sterile.

The Squid and the Whale Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Director Noah Baumbach and director of photography Robert Yeoman supervised and approved this new digital transfer, which was created in 4K resolution on a DFT Scanity film scanner from the Super 16mm original A/B negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS. The 5.1 soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm original Dolby A magnetic tracks. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

Transfer supervisors: Noah Baumbach, Lee Kline, Robert Yeoman.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg/Deluxe, Culver City, CA."

The entire film has a wonderfully balanced, very strong organic appearance. The biggest improvements are in terms of depth and fluidity, with the indoor footage in particular now boasting excellent nuances and superior shadow definition. The outdoor footage looks sharper -- not artificially sharpened -- and the drastically improved fluidity makes an even bigger difference. The color scheme has a better range of healthy primaries and gentle nuances. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Image stability is outstanding. Lastly, there are absolutely no age or source related imperfections to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Squid and the Whale Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

This is primarily a dialog-driven feature but there are a few sequences where the music does add some extra flavor to the intended atmosphere. So while you should not expect to be impressed with interesting surround movement and other whistles and bells, if you appreciate nuanced sound designs there is an excellent chance that you will be very pleased with the excellent mixing. The dialog is always stable, clean, and very easy to follow.

The Squid and the Whale Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - two original trailers for The Squid and the Whale. In English, not subtitled. (5 min, 1080p).

• Jeff Daniels - in this brand new video interview, actor Jeff Daniels recalls how he was cast to play Bernard Berkman in The Squid and the Whale and how the film redirected his career, and discusses his initial impressions of the script for the film, Noah Baumbach's vision of the film before it was completed, his interactions with the rest of the cast members, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in Michigan in August 2016. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080p).

• Revisiting "The Squid and the Whale" - in this brand new documentary, actors Laura Linney (Joan Berkman), Owen Kline (Frank Berkman), and Jesse Eisenberg (Walt Berkman) recall how they joined The Squid and the Whale, and discuss their interactions with Noah Baumbach before and during the shooting of the film, some of the interesting dilemmas their characters face in the film, the brittle balance between comedy and drama, the impact the film had on their lives, etc. The documentary was produced by Criterion in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080p).

• Auditions - presented here is raw footage from five auditions. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Walt and Frank. Owen Kline and Jesse Eisenberg. (4 min, 1080i).
  2. "Do You Like Franz Kafka?". Jesse Eisenberg and Halley Feiffer. (4 min, 1080i).
  3. "Not an Intellectual". Jesse Eisenberg and Halley Feiffer. (4 min, 1080i).
  4. " Don't Be Difficult". Jesse Eisenberg and Halley Feiffer. (3 min, 1080i).
  5. "I Know it's Over". Jesse Eisenberg and Halley Feiffer. (8 min, 1080i).

• Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips - in this recorded conversation, director Noan Baumbach and composers Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips recall how the soundtrack of The Squid and the Whale came to exist and discuss the role specific music themes have in it (from Pink Floyd to Tangerine Dream). The conversation was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• Behind The Squid and the Whale - this archival piece features raw footage from the shooting of The Squid and the Whale in Brooklyn and clips from interviews with various cast members. It was shot by Nico Baumbach in 2005. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - 36-page illustrated booklet featuring Kent Jones' essay "4 Way Street", "Noah Baumbach" by Jonathan Lethem (this interview originally appeared in the Fall 2005 issue of BOMB magazine), and technical credits.

The Squid and the Whale Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are small portions of the film that can be quite amusing, but I found the manner in which comedy and drama are mixed to be problematic. It almost completely disintegrates the key relationships and in the process gives the film an elitist vibe that is very hard to ignore. This also makes the film's pursuit of authenticity incredibly suspicious. To be honest, this is exactly the type of film that would be enthusiastically praised by a small group of prominent critics and have a lot of casual viewers puzzled why they are raving about it. Criterion's recent Blu-ray release is sourced from a flawless new 4K remaster. RECOMMENDED.