Nervous breakdown anyone? I guess we can feel with the woman. If not you are as much of a jerk than her husband. And while Mr. Ritter is usually more of a nice guy on screen, he couldn't be further away with his role here. Actually he is so far off the cliff, that it starts hurting. Not just the viewer, but the movie as well.

Of course the main character has to have flaws he has to overcome so the audience will root for him in the end. But this is not just a 180 turn. This is like Exorcist like spinning when we arrive towards the end of the movie. So much spinning, that it's almost a surprise not all ended up crawling on the floor.

The thing is, for people to care, you have to walk a fine line. Something Ritter either isn't capable of (charisma-wise) and/or the script isn't giving him a chance. And that is before all the convenient stuff that happens (open doors, smelling only when needed for drama purposes and so forth).

Now every movie has logic issues if you really break them down, but the good ones have saving Graces. Why no one interferes, why the story (for "comedic purposes") just roles on like that ... it's obvious and you have to lower your bar quite a bit - to acknowledge the good intention of the movie and weigh them in a big way. If you can do that - well you probably have already voted dislike on my comment... but good for you and I mean that

In the run-up to Christmas 2018,I met up with a family friend and started trying to get hold online of movies he wanted to see over X-Mas. Whilst tracking down all the others on the list,I was annoyed that for some reason this one could not be found anywhere. Looking on eBay to buy some clothes with birthday money in February,I took a shot at looking for the title,and was thrilled to stumble on the DVD,which led to me finally tracking down the last title.

View on the film:

Clawing into Jill believing she is a dog within the opening 10 minutes,writer/director/ co-star Marianna Palka attempts to balance black Comedy and peculiar Horror on a feminist slant. Introducing Jill's barking state with her children laughing and telling their dad to check the basement where she is, the jump Palka makes to Jill acting like a dog fails to hit the off-beat targets due to dismissing the idea of establishing the psychological state of the Hart family,which becomes most notable in the broken state of Jill and Bill's marriage being covered in a quick montage, that leaves to little depth being offered to what has caused a build-up which has left Jill in such a state, and Bill staying as a smug jerk for the whole of the film. Loudly howling in the basement, Palka & cinematographer Armando Salas give Jill's life as a dog a grubby, dirty appearance,where the stark light highlights Jill's raw face, which is awkwardly matched by the rest of the Hart household being given a smooth, clean look,as Jill barks at the moon.

It's billed as a dark comedy, but I still wasn't prepared for just how dry, acidic, and bitter the humor is. I certainly didn't anticipate the laudable dramatic beats, either. This picture is rife with frenzied energy and excellent performances, and is deeply engrossing.

The sheer chaos of the Hart household, and its divisions, represent an inescapable black hole of disorder that's terribly gripping. "Protagonist" Jill, collapsing under the constant impossible pressure of an inattentive, unfaithful husband and four unruly kids. "Head of the household" Bill - cheating, ignorant, indifferent, irresponsible, absent from his family's life. The kids themselves are a vortex of looming anarchy waiting for the other shoe to drop. After Jill's breakdown, indicated by the premise, her sister Beth tries to restore a small semblance of structure to the home, while struggling herself with the scenario.

The cast is phenomenal and entrancing in realizing these intense characters. Writer, director, and star Marianna Palka, above all, is outstanding first in realizing Jill's grave disconsolation - then the fierce turn to feral, canine-like behavior as she loses herself. At all times the unbridled ferocity and carefree abandon of her performance is riveting. Immediately unlikable as Bill is in his dire flaws, Jason Ritter, carrying an unremitting sorrow, manages to make him marginally sympathetic in the desperation that comes to define him. Jaime King, as Beth, gives a powerful portrayal of the profound alarm that comes with love of family. Even the young actors assembled to play the Hart children are great, all showing strong personalities, and range exceeding their youth.

Beyond her fantastic performance, Palka demonstrates a keen eye as director, arranging some wonderful shots, including fine consideration of lighting. More than this, her screenplay is a treasure. We easily become invested in the characters, but her narrative writing is exquisite. It would have been very easy to turn the root premise into a pure dark comedy, or even a psychological thriller - and these would have been swell, too - but Palka takes the plot in an unexpected direction, demanding greater complexity of the characters in the process. For all the jarring moments that populate much of the film, the last act becomes quite affecting with poignant, touching story beats, and character development. In doing so, the narrative becomes more well-rounded, and satisfying.

There are considerable themes at play including and not limited to the endless burdens shouldered by women; work-life balance; spousal neglect; the profound restrictive bonds and expectations of arbitrary gender roles; the unexpected ways our minds can affect our memories, perceptions, and behavior to protect us from trauma - and, of course, learning what's important, and finding peace in life. At no point are the notions underpinning the feature so plain in their expression as to be force-fed, and in fact they tend to be overwhelmed in the presentation by the characters, performances, and narrative generally. Still, it's not too difficult to pick up on what Palka is laying down.

It's also worth mentioning the stellar contributions of behind-the-scenes departments including wardrobe, hair and makeup, art direction, and editing, as no detail is too small to be part of the feature's success. I also greatly enjoy the music composed by Morgan Z. Whirledge. At the most madcap times the score consists largely of grabbing free-form jazz experiments with varied instrumentation and prominent percussion, but the music adapts according to the mood, and always lends much to the air of the picture.

I was drawn in by the premise and expected to enjoy this, but still find I'm caught off guard by the skillful construction of the movie as a whole. There's no particular weakness here - writing, direction, and acting are all markedly dexterous, developed well, and at length decidedly rewarding. It's an oddball feature that won't be for everyone by any means, but this is nonetheless a superb accomplishment that's very much worth checking out.

Two paws up!