In writer/director Maya Forbes' semi-autobiographical feature debut, Infinitely Polar Bear, Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana play a married couple trying to overcome the obstacles in their life, not the least of which is Ruffalo's character's bi-polar disorder. She leaves him in charge of taking care of their two young daughters while she tries to complete her education so she can provide for their family.
From my review at TIFF:
From my review at TIFF:
3.5 out of 5.Set during the late '70s — a time when women were still expected to be stay-at-home moms — much of the film follows the trials and tribulations of chain-smoking Cam Stuart (Ruffalo), a well-meaning man suffering from manic-depressive disorder, as he tries to cope with the demands of being a full-time father to two headstrong daughters, Amelia (Imogene Wolodarsky) and Faith (Ashley Aufderheide). Meanwhile, his wife, Maggie (Saldana), whose decision to leave her family behind in Boston was motivated by Cam's inability to hold down a steady job and their family's impoverished living conditions, hurries to complete her 18-month MBA in New York and return to her family.Mental illness mixed with family dysfunction is hardly a topic ripe for the comedy-drama, but Forbes approaches the subject matter from an affectionately whimsical perspective, infusing the story with a welcome levity that smooths out the rawness of its emotional truth. Her script also treats both Cam and Maggie — characters molded after Forbes' own parents — with equal amounts of compassion, allowing us to empathize with both of them. But the movie's strong suit is its depiction of the heartwarming bond that develops between Cam and his daughters. It's poignant and uplifting, and perhaps it even oversimplifies the family's struggles. But sometimes life's too complicated anyway.