Gayle Hill

Honestly, I have never been so physically uncomfortable watching a movie as I was watching this, so I definitely wouldn't say I enjoyed it. However, I still gave it 4 stars because I think movies like this are so important for highlighting the damage and emotional abuse family members endure at the hands of a narcissist. As hard as it was for me to watch I think the acting was absolutely fantastic. Honestly, it was scary how accurate Annette Benning was at honing in on so many narcissistic traits. Her constant criticism, belittling and controlling of her long-standing husband, Bill Nighly; her complete lack of empathy and denial of his (and her sons) emotions and feelings; her constant gaslighting; her triangulation (playing the two up against each other), her sense of entitlement and denial of anyone's right to make any decisions without her approval; her victimhood and complete lack of regard to how others might also be affected in any situation; her narcissistic rage followed by the empty promises to not do that again. The most heartbreaking scene for me was the one where her son, Josh O'Conner was handed some advice from well-meaning, friends that he just wasn’t "there enough for his ex-girlfriend". When you are a child who has grown up caretaking a parent's emotional needs, it is extremely difficult to look after your own needs let alone anybody else's. I think both Nighly and O'conner perfectly portrayed the utter exhaustion and anxiety that often comes with dealing with a narcissist, day in and day out. I don't think this is simply a movie about a couple going through a divorce….this is a movie about unrecognised emotional abuse and the often unnoticed effects that it has on others.