Movies are a way to raise awareness or change people's views. Compelling stories of the trials and tribulations that characters with real-life issues face teach lessons. August: Osage County tells one of those stories, with a deep dynamic cast that portrays a family with hardships that anyone may come to face someday.
The movie starts out with a touching monologue by the patriarch of the Weston family that lives in Osage County, Oklahoma, Beverley “Bev” Weston (Sam Shepard). He talks about originality, and how even if it was thought before by somebody else, the idea is still unique. Everything experienced is a part of life, and only the person going through the experience can truly see what happens. This idea sets off a movie where one tries to feel what the characters are going through, but is unable to process the emotions because the difficult story is unique to the characters. The next highlight begins after the funeral of the beloved man. His grand-daughter, Jean (Abigail Breslin), the only vegetarian in a family full of country-talking meat eaters, tries to get a plate with no meat. Her Great Uncle Charlie (Chris Cooper) mocks her, asking why she lives the life she chose. Jean's response is that she simply cannot comprehend wanting to eat the chemicals animals produce right as they are about get slaughtered, as a by-product of fear. Her Southern family is unable to understand her ways, and one sees the two cultures of country and city start to collide at the table. Jean's diet makes her family turn defensive on the fact that they eat meat, even though she never tried to persuade them to convert to vegetarianism as well. A while after the dinner, the next scene that steals my heart begins. Little Charles (Benedict Cumberbatch) sings to his love interest/family member Ivy (Julianna Nicholson), in an attempt to cheer her up. Sitting at the piano, singing in his little surprisingly good voice, the rather dark movie starts to lighten up for a second. Possibly a guilty pleasure for me, this part is one of the best.
The overall show-stopper of this film must be the wonderful acting done by Meryl Streep, who plays the character Violet, the matriarch and widow of Bev. Streep portrays an elderly woman with mouth cancer, and a long time prescription drug addiction that has severely affected her thinking and reasoning. The character is introduced high, and at no point appears sober. During the funeral dinner, Streep gives an outstanding performance showing the emotions of someone going through extreme pain, but does not understand why and no longer wants to be. In an ending scene, Violet’s doctor reveals the fact Violets may have a little brain damage from her dangerous habit. Streep continues to develop her character, and one can see the progression of Violet's mental state getting worse and worse. The very emotional end, where Violet's character feels completely alone in the world, takes the cake. You see Streep change her emotions in a matter of seconds, and showcase a complex set of feelings. There is no doubt Streep deserved the Oscar she was nominated for in this film.
August: Osage County steps out of the typical movie boundaries with its plethora of issues, some of them considered taboo in our society. Substance abuse being the most prevalent, with Bev's drinking in the beginning, Violet's pills, and Jean's use of tobacco and weed as a minor. Abuse of any of these products can lead to extreme emotional changes, and that is what you see happen. A mother, instead of caring, harasses and insults her family at every moment, but never realizes because she is not in touch with reality. The second most prevalent issue, the taboo topic of incest, is thoroughly explored. In society there is a strict notion that if a person is related to someone, even if they have not grown up together, they should not feel attracted to them even a drop. Charles and Ivy, although "cousins" share a deep relationship built on trust and understanding. In our world, we evolved to a society accepting of love, so this kind can be no different or stranger than the kind almost everyone experiences.
A great tale of a family that faces nearly every challenge presented, August: Osage County blew my mind. There is no happy ending, if anything, everything falls apart. Each person deals with his/her own problem, which leads to everyone feeling like they go through worse, and comparing issues leads to conflict in the story which are unable to be resolved. The story reminds us that one can't ever compare oneself to someone, because everybody possess a different view of what is important and truly devastating. However, because of the multiple problems, the plot gets messy and confusing for a moment if one misses a part. Life, although messy itself at times, never occurs the way this movie tries to make it. Issues usually come together in the end to sort themselves out, unlike in the movie, where everything suddenly ends just as the story actually begins. Although a great tool for learning about some deep issues, this movie proves unable to properly reflect life.