Mind Games: Inside Out, Infinitely Polar Bear

Two recent films have made an impression on their audiences by speaking honestly and poignantly on the themes of family and emotions. With Inside Out, Pixar performed its customary magic of making a family movie that holds a profound and bittersweet significance for its adult audience; Screenwriter Maya Forbes made her directorial debut with an intensely moving ensemble piece, an original screenplay called Infinitely Polar Bear. 

Inside Out

I had approximately zero interest in seeing this film - not because I believed it was intended for kids (I love animated films and they are certainly not always for children), but because I could not understand how it would work. I remembered items like this article from 2012, which included the working title "The Untitled Pixar Movie That Takes You Inside The Mind" and the pitch summary from John Lasseter: "The emotions of this little girl are the characters and it takes place in the head of this little girl, and shows how they control things that go on." Being of little faith, I could not fathom how these characters could be anything other than one-note, and the concept art did nothing to convince me that I could become attached to any of the characters. 

Lo and behold, much like with Wreck-It Ralph, there was so much more to Inside Out than could possibly be expressed in a trailer (without giving too much away), and more than I ever imagined. Much like with Wreck-It Ralph, I went in with low expectations, and found myself blown away. 

Of course, the concept art evolved into Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear, and Sadness, as we know them in the movie, all of whom live in Riley's mind. Beautiful, singular, colorful, and brilliantly cast: Amy Poehler (a bouncy and optimistic representation of Joy), Lewis Black (no one better to voice Anger), Mindy Kaling (who manages to make Disgust charming), Bill Heder (bringing his vocal versatility to the role of Fear), and Phyllis Smith (whose rich tones perfectly bring Sadness to life). The different combinations of emotions, their presence or absence, make a vividly clear metaphor for the way our bodies react to certain events. There's a perfect balance between what's going on in Riley's life, and what's going on with the emotions in her mind/body. We even get an inside look at how our bodies communicate with one another. Another careful balancing act is managed by making Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear, and Sadness not so much manifestations of singular emotions, but as personalities, each one more sensitive - becoming more dominant - in response to triggers of their namesake.

For young viewers, it's an exploration of five common emotions and how they work together; For older viewers, it's a study in adolescence, memory, nostalgia, and how our emotions have grown with us (or not).


Infinitely Polar Bear

There are many obstacles or subjects that might be tackled in Infinitely Polar Bear: parenthood, family, feminism, independence, mental health, adolescence for a biracial child in the late 70s, sexism, the socioeconomic climate of 1978-1980 - among others, I'm sure. Instead, writer/director Maya Forbes touches on all of them in the way that life does, having penned a screenplay that covers a specific slice of time. First pinning the story to a specific time and place (1978 Boston), and then focusing on a particular family, Forbes set her sight on truth. This means that instead of the politically-correct atmosphere or underdog story of idealism that often permeates this type of tale, Forbes shows the world as it is (at the time), and allows her characters to react and cope (or not, ahem), rather than dwell on how it should be. 

At the center of Forbes's script are Cam (Mark Ruffalo), Maggie (Zoe Saldana), Amelia (Imogene Wolodarsky), and Faith (Ashley Aufderheide). Cam works to manage his bipolar disorder, or manic depressive episodes, while his wife Maggie struggles to take care of their two daughters, even as she works to keep them financially afloat. When Maggie is accepted to business school in New York City, she looks to Cam - barely recovered from his latest breakdown - to care for Amelia and Faith (and the apartment, and the chores, and himself) during the week. Lest you think Infinitely Polar Bear is about the parents, I should mention that most of the narrative is shown from the children's perspective. Few scenes occur without the girls, or without what the girls have figured out since the events took place. Wolodarsky and Aufderheide are superb as the siblings, bringing a most natural maturity and youth to the performance. They love their father, but being kids, they go from unexpectedly observant in one moment and downright bratty the next, they are more than capable of playing opposite Mark Ruffalo, whose Cam Stuart is friendly, subtle, doting, creative, and dedicated to his children - if not always consistent in his self-care. Equally stellar and important is Zoe Saldana's Maggie, the very capable, if thwarted, head of the family. Despite having the least screen time of the foursome, Saldana makes Maggie interesting, compassionate, strong, and intelligent, while avoiding cliches of frazzled and independent motherhood. She faces the very obstacles one might expect for a black woman pursuing a career in the late 70s, but her persistence and will to succeed keep her from becoming a preachy symbol of any sort. 

I hope this film continues to find its audience, as the unexpected result is a satisfying story of acceptance - of circumstance, of personality, of options. I have yet to do more research on Maya Forbes, but the film feels at least semi-autobiographical, which either explains the truthfulness at its heart, or is a result of such a concentration. In any case, it's no wonder Forbes received the Director to Watch award at the 2014 Palm Springs International Film Festival. I am already interested in her next project - whatever it may be.

Notes:
. Frequent J.J. Abrams-collaborator Michael Giacchino composed the score for Inside Out. 
. What Inside Out May Be Saying About Gender by Paul Emerich France, via Huffingtonpost.com
. J.J. Abrams's production company Bad Robot served as one of the production companies for Infinitely Polar Bear. #nowonderit'ssogood
. Infinitely Polar Bear shot in Providence, Rhode Island - holla at my adopted hometown!
. Maya Forbes is married to Wally Wolodarsky, who cameos as Wally, and their daughter Imogen stars as Amelia. 
. Whomever enters trivia for IMDB.com is preoccupied with Marvel; The only trivia involves Ruffalo and Saldana's roles as Marvel characters, and the fact that they Ruffalo wears a lot of green.
 . Infinitely Polar Bear was also nominated for the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic film. 
. Observation: The majority of the press for Infinitely Polar Bear features Mark Ruffalo being asked about his career, and Zoe Saldana being asked about motherhood.