Robert Redford's directorial debut is probably best remembered for somehow beating Martin Scorseses Raging Bull for Best Picture at the 53rd Academy Awards. Nevertheless, Ordinary People is a film that is well deserving of its critical praise. The film tells a simple but painfully emotional story of the disintegration of a "perfect" family. Conrad (Timothy Hutton) lives under a cloud of guilt after his brother drowns after their boat capsizes in Lake Michigan. Despite intensive therapy sessions with his psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch), Conrad can't shake his suicidal thoughts and the belief that he should have died instead of his brother; nor do his preoccupied parents (Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore) offer much in the way of solace. Ultimately the boy is brought out of his pessimism through his romance with a young lady named Jeannine (Elizabeth McGovern). Ordinary People is about growing up, family life, loss, forgiveness, and renewal. It speaks to experiences, ideas, feelings, and fears common to everyone. In the suffering and growth of the ordinary people on the screen, the film helps us gain a fresh perspective on our own adolescence and adulthood.
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
