Love_Life_Laughter
Wakefield, as the name suggests, is the story of a man named Howard Wakefield who "awakens" to discover that his family does not want, need, miss or love him. The journey to this realization is suspenseful and at some point, if you are really tracking, your heart breaks for him.
At first, hiding in the garage attic spying on his wife and kids for months at a time, watching them go from surprise, to grief, to healing, to an enjoyment of daily life far more satisfying than his dour nature would allow, seems the ultimate in manipulation and as a result, nothing more than Howard deserves. But there is more to Howard than his compulsive spying. His isolation manifests in a heightened spiritual childlike joy in nature. And his journey also reveals his deep love for his wife, whom he wooed and won to spite a challenger, but who is now absolutely central to his world. Howard makes his final move when that old challenger comes back into her life, months after Howard's closet is emptied, and the family's celebrations of the Christmas holiday demonstrate real and true joy without him. Howard then makes the sacrifice of returning to his family, so that they can find closure and get on with the business of ejecting and replacing him with his old rival. It is clear his wife will never know of either his deep feelings nor of his sacrifice; nor will she care.
The existential despair of the male provider, the ostensible head of the family, has never been so beautifully wrought. Is he loved for himself, or as a meal ticket? This question was touched upon during the last episode of Mad Men, when Don Draper reacted sympathetically to a male participant of a support group who claimed that no one spoke to him at the dinner table. Howard was a man determined to find out what was behind that dining room table silence, and heartrendingly, succeeded in answering that question. A beautiful film noir that looks at the dark underbelly of the "successful" head of the household and the emotional price men can pay for their financial power. I think Brian Cranston deserves an Oscar. Nine stars because this film is just too darn creepily close to some very uncomfortable truths.
