A Mouthful of Air: Starry Saga about Depression Lovely to Observe But Lacking Topical Heft
By Karen Gordon
Rating: B-
Amanda Seyfried puts in a strong performance as a woman struggling with persistent and deep depression in A Mouthful of Air. Her performance fills up a movie that wants to draw attention to the issues but prefers nuance to depth, and therefore avoids too much of the complexities, ending in mixed results.
The film marks the directorial debut of author Amy Koppelman, who also wrote the script based on a recently released novel.
Seyfried is Julie Davis, a writer of children’s books, at home with her infant son, Teddy. She’s married to Ethan Davis, played by Finn Whitlock. On the surface, this could not be a more perfect union. Julie and Ethan are gorgeous. He gazes at her with love and wonder. The baby is adorable.
Ethan goes off to work every day at an unspecified job, but one that seems to afford them their comfortable life. They live in a beautiful, airy apartment. Everything is soft and squeaky clean.
While she’s home with the baby, Julie is also working on her next book, based on her recurring character who faces her fears and learns positive things. But while she’s creating a sunny character, Julie is struggling. Although she presents to the world as happy, she is in the grips of depression. And not even the love she has for her baby, her family or her work seems to be able to pull her out of it.
The initial conclusion here, given the age of her son, is that this is probably postpartum depression. But flashbacks showing Julie as a little girl with a close relationship with her seemingly doting father Ron, played by Michael Gaston, muddle the idea.
They hint that her depression might be related to a family secret, and possibly a dark one. And that’s underscored when Julie’s mother Bobbi, played by Amy Irving, gently mentions that Ron — who has been estranged from both of them — wants another chance. Julie seems to recoil from the idea, but there are more questions than answers here about the source of Julie’s depression.
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Given the weight of the emotional issues, perhaps it is understandable that Koppelman has chosen to make a restrained movie with a gentle tone. Her approach seems to be to soften the seriousness by giving the film and its characters a sheen of calm and beauty. The cast is beautiful, the locations are beautiful, and every day seems sunny and clear.
As well, Koppelman has been careful to avoid melodrama. The characters have no real outward pressures from work. Although there is some tension between characters, there are no hysterical outbursts or moments of manufactured drama.
A lot of what’s going on happens in the reactions of characters, as opposed to their actions. This puts a lot of the responsibility for the emotions in the hands of her actors who really carry the load here. She’s pulled together a fine cast that, which also includes Paul Giamatti and Jennifer Carpenter.
But the bulk of the film falls on Seyfried’s shoulders. She does a masterful job of showing us how Julie’s inner world is eating at her. At times you can see how confused she is at her own depression. She sees how beautiful things around her are, she’s aware that she is loved by Ethan and her mom. She loves her baby, so is frustrated that she can’t shake off the darkness and get on with life. She clearly doesn’t want to stress anyone, so she masks her depression.
All of this is good and sincere and important in terms of its subject matter. Koppelman shows skill as a director. It’s a beautiful-looking film. The characters treat each other with respect, and I’m sure that there are people out there who will appreciate that the movie, addresses a tough issue, without being too taxing or challenging.
At the same time, the movie’s cautious approach short-changes the story and the issue. One wishes Koppelman had used less restraint and dug a little deeper into Julie’s emotional dilemma, sacrificing some of the movie’s visual beauty for something deeper and more affecting, with more emotional grit.
A Mouthful of Air. Directed by Amy Koppelman. Starring Amanda Seyfried, Finn Whitlock, Amy Irving and Paul Giamatti. In theatres on October 29.