Spanking the monkey

This black comedy was an indie hit for director/writer David O. Russell, with the content of the narrative, and the title of the film (a non-de-plum for masturbation) causing a minor furore. Ray, an introverted student studying to be a surgeon, returns home for what he intends to be a brief stay prior to taking up an internship. Upon his arrival however his controlling father presses him into caring for his physically compromised and emotionally depressed mother. As Ray assists his mother with her recuperation, their bond becomes incestuous in tone and increasingly bizarre. With an eye for the absurd and a heavy tilt toward black comedy, this film’s Oedipal overtone encourages uncomfortable audience participation in what is a rarely explored subject matter. The pathos of the screenplay manages to outweigh the mere shock value of the topics explored, and the film genuinely engages on an emotional level with an unusual coming of age story.

Credits: Producer, Dean Silvers ; director, writer, David O. Russell ; photography, Michael Mayers ; music, Mark Sandman ; editing, Pamela Martin.
Cast: Jeremy Davies, Elizabeth Newett, Benjamin Hendrickson, Alberta Watson, Carla Gallo.