Birthmarked

Greetings again from the darkness. Billed as a comedy, the movie will leave most viewers wondering wherefore art the laughs. Filmmaker Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais and his co-writer Marc Tulin aim high with a grown-up level look at the trials and tribulations of parenting - complicated here by a science experiment gone awry.

Matthew Goode plays Ben, the son of a long line of renowned scientists, and Toni Collette plays Catherine, the daughter of two noted physicists. The two nerds (a term of admiration) meet in graduate school, fall in love, and hatch a plan to conduct a revolutionary sociological scientific experiment. In 1977 they convince an arrogant and glory-seeking rich guy named Gertz (Michael Smiley) to fund an experiment with a premise that boils down to their intention of settling the nature vs. nurture debate once and for all.

Ben and Catherine plan to take their biological son Luke and turn him into an artist, while at the same time raising two adopted kids contrary to their genetic heritage. Maya, born into a family of "nitwits" will be raised as a Brainiac, while Maurice, born into a violent household, will be developed as a pacifist. It's an interesting set-up that also includes Russian athlete Samsonov (Andreas Apergis) as their live-in caregiver/nanny, and Mrs. Tridek (Fionnula Flanagan) as Gertz's well-meaning assistant.

The story jumps ahead to 1989 when Gertz arrives for the 12 year check-up and evaluation. When he deems the children to be "average", Ben and Catherine are devastated. Gertz threatens them with bankruptcy if the experiment isn't successfully expedited so he can publish the desired results. Mrs. Tridek also functions as the narrator who fills in the gaps with some details that might ordinarily leave us a bit confused.

Predictability rears its ugly head in the final act, and the film slips into more traditional cinematic story-telling and characterizations. Emotions and greed are the natural responses to the deception that has occurred, and while the adults leave us disappointed, it's at this point where the story finally shifts to the kids and we get to see the winner in the nature vs. nurture battle. Where the film works best is in its look at just how powerful and overwhelming parenting can be, regardless of the brain power and intentions one brings to the situation. Toss in some greed and the power of biology, and the final analysis can't be shocking, even if the film itself doesn't quite live up to its premise.

A great critique of society. today's families are actually experiencing such feelings. It is important for them to make children like themselves. Do not rely on low ratings. Keep the blu-ray, keep it. Toni Collette is awesome. the children actors are also very good. and Stephen Rennicks' music is tremendous.

I stumbled upon this quirky comedy and stayed for the duration. Toni Collette is great as always. It was particularly fun to see Matthew Goode hiding his good looks behind a beard and big glasses. Don't think I've ever seem him so animated, not stuck playing the beautiful cool guy as usual.

The lakeside setting and period details were engaging. Music was good. Really an unexpected delight to watch this during stress covid19 times.

In 2018's lightly cerebral '80s-based "Birthmarked" scientist couple Toni Collette & Matthew Goode (assisted by Andreas Apergis) experimentally raise kids Jordan Poole, Megan O'Kelly & Anton Gilles-Adelman in direct contrast to each's genetic expectations - to prove that nurture beats nature. But a decade or so in their unimpressed philantropist (or is he?) benefactor Michael Smiley (assisted by Fionnula Flanagan) pushes them to up the ante, adding further strain to their already stressed marriage & family life. Writer Marc Tulin & director Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais made a passable enough dramedy, but like Smiley, many may be underwhelmed by its mediocrity.

The way this film began, I thought I might be onto something here with its dark humor leading the way. However, as the movie progressed it not only seemed to lose its focus but its humor as well.

Matthew Goode and Toni Collette star as two professors of science who obtain funding from a foundation led by Michael Smiley to use 2 adopted children plus their own soon-to-be baby in an experiment that they feel will prove no one must be a prisoner to their genetic make-up.

So for example, one of their adopted children, who comes from a family of "dolts" will be nurtured and home schooled so that she will become a "brainiac". In this controlled environment, they hope to confirm their hypotheses and eventually publish their findings.

However, aside from the fact that their children are treated like lab rats and are not told what is occurring, things will eventually go awry in various ways as does the movie itself, which seems to fall apart.

Overall, some of the very dark humor does work at times here, with Andreas Apergis quite funny as the assistant sent over by Smiley to help the parents. To note, for those concerned there's nudity in the film, as well as some rather explicit and suggestive sexual references. There's also what I thought was a rather despicable scene where an animal is killed in an experiment and a young girl is blamed for its death.