Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

ganeshasmiles Why sit through this whole thing when we as an audience don't give a crap about any of the characters? They are all equally worthless...The villain is a wonderful actor. The lighting and mood are fine, but when we go to the movies what we really want is emotion. To feel, to care. And I couldn't have cared less about the stupid brother or anyone else in The Living. I guess it is a reflection of our culture that movies like this get financed, and made. How does this happen? There is zero subplot, zero nuance, and zero depth of character. It's like a silly ghost story that my 5 year old would tell, only she'd finish it quickly enough not to make me feel like my time had been stolen. Save yourself for actual movies. Maybe other ones that Chris Mulkey is in...since he's really worth watching. Just not in this.Amateur hour and a half.

Peter Pluymers What I do isn't about the people that die. It's about the people that are left alive. They get the short end of the stick, as far as I'm concerned. "The Living" is a basic revenge film in which the reprisal turns out quite differently than initially intended. A social drama about domestic violence and alcoholism, although I started wondering after a while how critical this alcohol problem was. The evolution to this violent abuse wasn't discussed. How could it come to this? Were there already signs of an oncoming problem? And were there cases of domestic violence already in the past? You're kept in the dark when it comes to these relevant considerations.The first image, accompanied by music from The de Luca Brothers, is that of some empty beer bottles scattered around on the ground and an unconscious Teddy (Fran Kranz), who apparently is sleeping it off. Upon awakening he finds out he has a bloody hand and his wedding ring is missing, after which he becomes aware something terrible happened the previous night. The fact that his young wife Molly (Jocelin Donahue) is no longer present in the house, confirms his suspicion. Molly has fled to her parents' home where her mother Angela (Joelle Carter) and brother Gordon (Kenny Wormald) still live. When Teddy arrives there and Molly returns with him despite everything that happened, Angela threatens to use her shotgun and shoot Teddy. Simultaneously she's also furious about Gordon defending his sister in a lax way. Mad about what happened to his sister, Gordon takes the advice of a workmate (who knows someone who also knows someone else who could teach a person a lesson), and he goes looking for this person to solve the problem once and for all.Unfortunately this is, despite some brilliant performances, a fairly banal story with a predictable storyline and no surprising conclusion. The whole film actually just shows the emotional relationship between a few people. First, the fragile and broken relationship between Molly and Teddy. Molly makes it clear to Teddy that he has to do everything to make up for the incurred suffering. What bothered me in this part of the story, was twofold. Teddy doesn't really resemble a typical alcoholic who tends to use violence against his wife. He looks remarkably fresh after an evening of heavy drinking (with a solid blackout as a result) and seemingly he doesn't have problems with staying away from booze. And Molly didn't need much time to forgive him again. Teddy didn't have to pay enormously for his actions. But I'm convinced this is most common in this kind of situations.The second relationship arising in this film is that between the timid, uncertain Gordon and Howard (Chris Mulkey), the psychopathic killer who isn't afraid of murdering someone for a few dollars. This subtle interplay between these two opposites was the most fascinating of the whole movie. Magisterial acted by both. The realization that slowly grows to Gordon that he may have took the wrong decision. Howard is someone who is straightforward and clearly takes matters in hand to finalize it. There's a key moment in a restaurant where I thought the film was going to escalate into a spiral of violence. But to my surprise it remained to that single moment and the impact was limited to the fact that Gordon was more uncertain and scared to dead of Howard. Mulkey is brilliant as the crazy killer. Top performance.But as I mentioned earlier, these superb performances can't cover up that the essential substance of this film is kind of feeble. A succession of obvious events and a simple story with no undue risks taken. Domestic violence is usually a complex psychological story. In "The Living" this is elaborated rather simplistic. Even the injuries Molly had after the quarrel, didn't exactly look realistic (it was more a result of a makeup party that got out of hand). Thanks to the charismatic Mulkey, this film was worth to watch. More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT

zif ofoz Kenny Wormald as Gordon carries this movie from start to finish. He shines in his role as the confused, spirit broken, son of Angella, brother of Molly, and trapped future-less stock clerk at a local grocery store.Gordon feels defeated by his mother constantly pecking at him and belittling him. Gordon wants to stand up to his abusive brother-in-law but lacks the will and the drive. His mother fails to realize she has destroyed her son. Molly (his sister) and wife to Teddy only stands up for herself when pushed into a corner as shown by how her husband Teddy beat her and then Molly fights back. But she cannot stay away from Teddy at her mother's house because she see's her mother as more abusive psychologically than Teddy's physical abuse.Fran Kranz as the husband Teddy is very smooth and likable in this role as he charmingly worms his way back into Molly's trust only to have Molly reject him again and again. BUT pay attention to the kitchen scene near the end of the movie! His true character is coming out when he gets Molly to 'get' something for him. And she does! She is now back into his control.Chris Mulkey as Howard is one spooky dude! A terrible creature and Gordon doesn't realize this until it's too late and he then knows he's in over his head. Howard has complete control of him. The finest scene is in the restaurant conversation between Howard and Gordon .... it is here that Gordon actually gets Howard to philosophically question himself and his life. But he too is in over his head with his past life and he cannot escape it, his ship is sinking and he might as well go down with it. On the other hand Gordon must find a way off this sinking ship.This film is perfect from start to finish! Bravo's to writer/director Jack Bryan and the entire cast. A must see film!

quincytheodore The title aptly portrays the life of ordinary folks, with all the familiar problems or flaws one expect from them. It shows domestic issues and mundane stuffs in a patient pace, yet the delivery of characters feels so genuinely inviting. Good script and acting make these unassuming characters easily identifiable while presenting twists so bizarre they might just be unnervingly realistic.After what seems to be a domestic violence, Teddy (Fran Kranz) and Molly (Jocelyn Donahue) are not in the best terms. The debacle disturbs Molly's brother Gordon (Kenny Wormald), who has timid personality but is highly determined to resolve the situation. Each character tries to overcome the issue but with much different means, the couple might attempt to sort it out between themselves, but Gordon opts for much dangerous path of hiring a hit-man.It plays out in solemn tone, occasionally switching between trivial matters and risky shady business. Fran Kranz is pretty convincing as the remorseful husband. Heartfelt apology, some humor and compromising nature make him a more likable guy than expected. As for the wife, Jocelin Donahue delivers a very compassionate performance. She remains strong yet it is her weaknesses which serendipitously create a compelling and deep character.Both of them look excessively normal, though in some subtle ways the movie keeps the audience guessing if the forgiveness is warranted. Meanwhile Kenny Wormald looks frightened and confused as he steps outside his comfort zone, meeting the hit-man Howard (Chris Mulkey). As the least confrontational character, Gordon is put in situations he fears the most, especially when Howard is exceptionally aggressive. Gordon seems cowardice and reluctant, though he has a sincere nature which could appeal to the audience. Howard, on the other hand, is incredibly antagonistic, just giving malicious intent with every word spewed.Cinematography produces a somber view of their lives. Using backdrop of mostly rural town it looks modestly slick. Much of the scenes are people dining as the camera shoots them from the side and occasionally pans. The visual lets the actors deliver their emotional lines in laid back manner, when the twists occur the quaint ambiance actually produces more impact. This is a relatively slow thriller, but it is never tedious.The Living presents an intimate look of the characters' lives, so close to home it's both disturbing and also absorbing.