To love infinitely . . .

     I thought it only fair to start this post with the mild disclaimer that due to the holiday and an insane work schedule, I was only able to attend one feature film.  I had to choose wisely and based on my luck from the past couple of days, I decided to attend the premiere of INFINITELY POLAR BEAR, written and directed by newcomer, Maya Forbes.  Although she has managed to write the screenplays for a couple of well-known children's films, including DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: DOG DAYS and MONSTERS VS. ALIENS, this is Forbes feature film debut.  No pressure right??  Especially with backing from industry tycoons like J.J. Abrams and Mark Ruffalo (who is also the main character of the film), Forbes certainly had the resources at her fingertips to produce a work of notoriety.  And boy did she deliver . . .
     Based on her own childhood, Maya reconstructed what it was like to grow up in a household with a manic-depressive father (also known as bipolar disorder) and interracial parents, during the late 70's.  Forbes' real life sister, who attended the premiere as her first time viewing the final product, spoke openly to the audience, saying, "It was like a photo album come to life."  While it was quite obvious that the main topic of discussion was mental illness (something that is foremost evident from the title), the movie generated discussion about sexism, against both males and females, interracial marriage, experimental drug treatments, single parent homes, the ups and downs of childhood and life, and, above all else, the power of love.
     Despite what everyone has experienced in their own lives, almost all of us know what it is like to love or be loved by someone despite or through adversity.  Perhaps it is the most powerful type of love because the battle we fight to give and receive can be enormous and many times life-changing.  For INFINITELY POLAR BEAR, Mark Ruffalo executed this flawlessly.  At the beginning of the film, we get a candid glimpse at what it's like to live surrounded by the scale of drastic mood swings that accompany bipolar disorder.  As the father in this story, Ruffalo makes it abundantly clear that he wants nothing more in life than to be a part of a family and be involved with his kids as much as possible.  After a major manic episode and a long stint in a mental institution, Cameron Stewart (Ruffalo) is rapidly forced into a new, and rather intimidating, routine when his wife, Maggie (played by the gorgeous, Zoe Saldana), accepts a student position at Colombia's business program in New York in order to provide a better life for her daughters.  Of course, all hell breaks loose when Cameron decides that he no longer needs to stay medicated on Lithium and determines that he functions better on an even-keeled diet of beer and cigarettes.  Needless to say, his precious daughters, Amelia and Faith, are taken on an adventure that they would eventually come to call "their life."
     The film followed the timeline of each season as they paralleled the major shifts in mentality that Cameron's disorder expressed, leaving the audience both entertained and emotionally bereft.  Cinematographer, Bobby Bukowski, created a vibrant atmosphere of colors that popped in every scene to emphasize the larger than life feeling each character felt at some point in the movie.  But what broke me in POLAR BEAR was the writing for Cameron Stewart's character.  He was funny and intelligent, and rather than making the film focus on a man with a disability, Forbes truly fleshed out a man who loved past his inconsistencies.  He was a character who was extremely aware of his issues, telling his daughters, "Don't not have friends because of me."  And for me, that was enough.  It was obvious that everyone in the theater identified with some part of  this theme and that is what made it truly great.
     And, as usual, the Q&A at the end of the screening consisted of Maya Forbes and Mark Ruffalo, who discussed their inspiration for the emotion of the film, and its correlating shots, and how they were able to delve so deep into the life of a man so few understood.  Brilliant from start to finish, it's clear that Mark's talent is being vastly underscored by his recent choice of films and it will be a great beauty to see what he will contribute to the world in future festivals and mainstream theaters.