a salinger a perfect day for bananafish end with the suicide of a prodigy and this movie open with the death of the star high school swimmer legend and matt and who shoot himself in the head with a revolver after in the opening scene . but the death of matt travis serve a a key to unlock the door of another prodigy and his brother and tim who never in his life seriously bother with the question and what be i go to do . when he find his brother dead and his head break like a dropped watermelon and the travis family start vomit out it secret one by one . the film focus on tim . he be a victim of bullying and domestic abuse and family alienation and heartbreak and issue of sexuality and friendship . tim reveal his wound by physical bruise and but these be not the only injury to his person and a we slowly come to realize and a the script painfully unveil the origin and outcome of tim scar . everyone who love him hurt him . hirsch play out the character quite well and reveal frame after frame in the visual expression of his body and a host of conflict emotion inside the soul of a kid whom no one seem to listen to or know very well and unknowing and unaware of his depth of soul and prodigious talent . two sibling share a doobie and curl up on a red and spinnable playground saucer and tim asks penny and what be i go to do with the rest of my life . the scene be frame in a familiar and recur image of the film represent the comfortable playground where tim obviously feel at home and film from a bird eye view and because with every character tim feel comfortable to share a part of himself and and we view these intimate moment he share in the red and spinnable playground saucer and complete with childish graffiti carve in pencil and from above . after advise him curtly to pass the joint and penny tell him and tim and well and the secret to the success of life be to find something you love . and you have to do that for the rest of your life and you good hope to hell that youre good at it because if youre not then you will probably fail . this simple line of advice from penny serf a the movie central theme and the responsibility of talent and the possibility of failure . why do one person have a talent he can not stand and like matt and who hat the attention his swimming fame bring and but no one notice tim talent no one because no one bother to ask him . not even u . the film make u aware that we ourselves do not know tim as well a we think we do when we first meet this handsome and sad and guy while in our intimate understanding of tim and a it progress and we be remind that not everyone be a they seem to be . this be the other side of the film and the failure of those who should parent and friend and teacher whoever to notice and see the gift of the people they claim to love . not even his mother sandy and play by sigourney weaver and see tim gift and despite her love for her son . weaver do a deft job of a middle age woman grapple with her own inner demon a she haphazardly try to play the role of domesticity and support . when tim be find to be bully at school and she storm the boy trailer and threaten his life and you can tease and torture and punch and drive drunk with me and i can forgive you . hell i can understand it and i be a good christian and you know and i can forgive and forget and but you mess with my kid and may god himself descend from heaven to protect you because as long a i live and i will outlive you all i will wake up and go to sleep at night just dreaming of way to make your petty insignificant live into hell on earth . after flick a paper cup into the mother face and she look around the trailer and and look at them both and the kid and his stunned mother and comment and nice trailer and leave as quickly a she come . weaver score in her ability to match gusto with visceral wit that be acid and witty . and tim father and play by jeff daniel and be blind to who his son be and treat him like a stranger and not tell his family that he take time off from the office and spend his day in the city park and listless and a carve out soul and and sleep in matt bed and tuck in with his high school letter jacket . jeff daniel do a superb job of make u believe that he can be both a bastard and lovable because and we grow to see that even an inept father can show his love for his son . in an emotional scene and tim confronts his father . just when you think his dad be go to hit him and he grab for him to embrace him . not let him go and he tell tim and i be your father and youre be my son and i be here okay but you have get ta talk to me . i do not know how to do this by myself . it be here at this moment in the film that a father tell his son and you have to tell me what go on inside of you and you have to tell me who you be while i want to know who you be . it be in this scene that the film reach a cathartic moment and the visual movement from tim and angry and alone and to his father embrace him a he break down and weeps and reveal the emotion hide beneath his shell . tim experience this moment of cleanse with his dad a a catharsis and especially when you consider the mistreatment and manipulation and disregard and violence and betrayal he have be deal in the long year the film encompass . i recommend this film .