it seem that i have hit an awkward patch and in that my last several choice for a family movie ( the 40 year old virgin and the weather man and and most recently and the squid and the whale ) and while great film all and be not exactly family appropriate . in hindsight and for each case and a good choice could have be make for overall family enjoyment . a personal choice and however ( exempt the 40 year old virgin ) and they be be excellent . i choose this film primarily for all of the critical praise it have get and especially from what i saw at the independent spirit award . this be an extremely touching movie about a family struggle to function in the throw of a divorce . we and a an audience and be bring to sympathize with walt berkman ( jesse eisenberg ) and the eldest son of the divorcing couple . and and a a result and we sympathize most with the parent that he sympathize with . for the majority of the film and this be the father . however and through an ingenious perspective shift near the end of the movie and we realize that the father be not nearly so free of blame a it first appear . it become more obvious and especially near the end and that the mother care all about the child and and little for their father and while the father care all about the marriage and and little for the child . when i say that he care little for the child and it a strong trait of his . he an extremely self indulgent intellectual and who value intelligence and culture . he attatches himself to the old son because he try to emulate his father and and thus read what book he tell be good and and pass those he tell be not while watch what movie his father like while avoid those his father doesn not while think and speak how his father would and when it obvious he know almost nothing about what he talk about . this last point be bring to attention throughout the movie while from plagiarize the song and to talk to his girl friend about kaufkas metamorphasis ( both time ) and to when his teacher say he doesn not think that walt read the great gatsbey ( despite his excellent paper on the subject ) . it almost painful and at time and to watch walt slavishly take his father advice when it be clearly the wrong advice for him and a an individual and to be take and and how he always blindly take his father side over his mother . the brother and frank berkman ( owen kline ) and be the opposite and and take his mother side over his father . he then sink into a life of drinking and perversion ( such a masturbate all over the school and and wipe his semen over library book and locker and bathroom ) . the way he cling to his mother and reject his father be typically freudian . it actually remind me of an excerpt from the interperitations of dream and which read and his destiny might have be ours because the oracle lay the same curse upon u . it be the fate of all of u to direct our first sexual impulse towards our mother and our first hatred against our father . king oedipus and who slew his father and marry his mother show u the fulfillment of our own childhood wish . it seem and a the movie unfolds and that he might have an oedipus complex while especially in the scene where he leave alone for the weekend and lay his mother underwear out on the bed and masturbates . the acting be incredible while some of the best i have see for the last year . the casting be perfect and the writing impeccable and the directing exquisite . in fact and the only part of the movie that i have a problem with be that they would make walt see a therapist because he plagiarize a song and but for frank ( who what and 12 year old . ) who have a grow drinking problem and who masturbate around the school ( and spread the semen wherever he please ) and they simply have a conference and tell the parent to talk to him . personally and i would think that the action would be switch . otherwise and there be no actual flaw to be find in the film . the parallel between the fight parent and the squid and the whale ( for which the title derives ) be an interesting and very think compel one and to the point where i start to wonder who exactly be the squid and and who the whale ( i have come to the conclusion that the father be the squid and the mother be the whale and although this might certainly be open to interpretation ) . this be easily one of the best film of 2005 in almost every regard . i would recommend this to any fan of good movie and especially dramas and but more specifically to people who have divorce or divorce parent . a a study of cinema and this be definitely a must see .