Thumbsucker

Synopsis: 17-year old Justin Cobb (Lou Taylor Pucci) has never stopped sucking his thumb. It infuriates his father, Mike (Vincent D'Onofrio), whilst his mother, Audrey (Tilda Swinton), is more supportive. His unwillingness to conquer his addiction causes him to lose a potential girlfriend, Rebecca (Kelli Garner). The answer to all of Justin's problems falls into his lap when he is diagnoses as having ADHD.

Justin Cobb is the possessor of an infliction which, apart from having orthodontal implications, could pass without much need for mention. It could, on the other hand, have the makings of drama sufficient to warrant an entire feature film: it all depends on your attitude. In this gently-handled story of teenage angst, Justin begins as a boy struggling through his hormonal transformation to manhood by seeking the comforts of his thumb, and in the end, after much torment and struggle, he leaves us, still - though now we feel permitted (and even fuzzily so) to smile about it - sucking his thumb.

Thumbsucker, belying its title somewhat, is a quietly unassuming little film. Without having read the novel by Walter Kirn from which it was adapted, the film itself feels serene, understated and meanders through the lives of its characters without a clearly plotted story. It takes a mundane issue, places it amongst interesting, but certainly not overly dramatic characters and uses it to draw out themes that would often be handled in far heavier ways: addiction; rejection; teenage love; parental alienation; trust; love; family; humility; and, as a trump card, self acceptance.

There are moments, perhaps encouraged by the choice of music, which feel intentionally over-sweet, and other times where you'd most likely only be content should you have no other pressing engagements, but overall Thumbsucker manages to touch you without ramming its emotions down your throat and to engage you without recourse to either high drama, striking action, or wild hilarity (though it is, at times, quite funny).

I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle complexity that was conveyed through convincing and engaging performances by Lou Taylor Pucci in the lead, Tilda Swinton as his mother going through a mid-life crisis, Vincent D'Onofrio as fumbling father who gets used to his son just he is about to leave home), the lovely Kellie Garner as object of Justin's lust, turned love, turned source of rejection, turned catalyst for growth, Keanu Reeves as the New Age orthodontist engaged in the incessant search for self discovery (a nicely-drawn character though Keanu never manages to quite convince me), a cute handling of celebrity addiction by Benjamin Bratt, and lastly, by Vince Vaughn, who provides the influential teacher role-model with his own complexities and, at times, shaky judgements.

Overall, Thumbsucker is a bit like life - most of the time not earth-shattering, but worth the ride.

 

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