August: Osage County

‘This mad house is my home’ – this pretty much sums up August: Osage County. A choice of film made spur of the moment after flicking through the channel guide, yet that I really did thoroughly enjoy and would absolutely watch again.

Based in Osage County, Oklahoma, the story focuses on the Weston family after a death brings Violet’s (Meryl Streep) daughters, Barbara (Julia Roberts), Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) and Karen (Juliette Lewis) and their families back home. Dysfunctional to say the least, the film plays out the secrets, relationships and clashing personalities underpinning the family and the drama within in.

During the film, both so much and so little happened. The storyline had very little ‘action’, there were no stunts, special effects or explosions, but my emotions were constantly changing, and sometimes I didn’t even know whether I was laughing or saddened by the scenes, or both. Some parts of the film were hilarious, and some heart-breaking, and everything in between.

The acting was superb, and completely made the film. As much as I love Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly in Devil Wears Prada, her role as Barbara was outstanding – my favourite performance from her yet, and for which she was, in no way surprisingly, nominated for several awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. But it was not only Streep who’s performance excelled, the whole cast was full of high acclaimed actresses and actors, each bringing such character to their parts. Every one of them played their role so convincingly that watching it felt like being a fly on the wall in a family home.

This really was an extraordinary film, different from anything I’ve seen before, that I would definitely recommend, whatever your preferred genre of film may be.

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