Addiction can take many forms:
drugs, gambling, sex, and food are common ones. But for Justin Cobb,
it's thumbsucking. A bright but awkward high-school teen, he wants to
quit, but nothing works. He tries everything from putting ink on his
thumb (a tip from his woefully uncommunicative father) to hypnosis from
his New Age orthodontist. He gets so desperate that when a school
psychologist suggests using medication to help him focus, Justin leaps
at the chance, despite his loving mother's concern. In a refreshingly
original and humorous spin, the meds begin to work. But are they the
answer or just a more acceptable form of pacification?
Thumbsucker features a truly extraordinary cast that turn in
magnificent performances captured by exquisite cinematography--creating
an ethereal aesthetic to shape a modern-day fairy tale filled with
humor, charm, and fragile love.
Acclaimed graphic artist and music-video director Mike Mills returns to
Sundance (his short, Architecture of Reassurance, played in 2000)
with another beautifully rendered examination of suburban angst. With
his feature debut, he delivers on his unlimited potential, displaying an
amazing cinematic dexterity combined with an acute insight into the
human condition to produce a visually stunning and thought-provoking
portrait of addiction--rooted in suburbia, but relevant to everyone.
Thumbsucker is an honest and funny
look at the struggles of people who feel deeply flawed, both those in
youth and middle age. They yearn to be anything but their real selves
with their real fears and doubts. Instead, they want to be "normal."
They look for magic answers to fix themselves -- only to realize that
they can't be someone else, that "normal" does not exist, and that their
flaws are what make them human and loveable.
Starring: Lou Taylor Pucci, Tilda Swinton, Vincent
D'Onofrio, Kelli Garner, Keanu Reeves, Vince Vaughn, Benjamin Bratt,
Chase Offerle, Sarah Iverson, Sarah Bing, Kit Koenig.
Rated R;
(for drug/alcohol use and sexuality involving
teens, language and a disturbing image).
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Running Time: 97 minutes
Sunday Afternoons at the Valley Cinemas
20 Albany Street, Little Falls, NY
Curtain Time - 4:00 PM