Film Review: Dark Horse

This article titled “Dark Horse – review” was written by Jason Solomons, for guardian.co.uk on Saturday 30th June 2012 23.04 UTC

For Todd Solondz, the locus of choice is the suburban sprawl of New Jersey, which he so memorably labelled a “state of irony” in 1998′s his best-known work Happiness. His latest film follows Abe, a schlubby Jewish man in his 30s who still lives at home with his parents, played in a genius spot of casting by Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow. At a wedding, Abe (Jordan Gelber) meets the beautiful but heavily medicated Miranda (Selma Blair), who also still lives at home, and the two begin a painful romance under the director’s merciless, absurdist eye.

It’s a film about loneliness and longing, where a kiss is followed by the breathy exclamation: “Oh my God, that wasn’t horrible.” Solondz’s world of freeways, failures and fuck-ups is cruel – even the decor can mock viciously – but in his bitter humour I always find a twitch on the moral compass.

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