“The Moment” stars powerhouse actress Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lee, a mentally shaky war photographer on assignment in Somalia. There’s a bombing, and Lee’s Somalian companion is killed right next to her by a suicide bomber. Lee narrowly escapes death and returns home very fragile.
The story is told in flashbacks, shown by the same scenes repeated over and over, but with Lee remembering them with different conclusions. Unbalanced and delusional, Lee is too confused to make sense of what happened. It gets to be wearying for the audience because they become as confused as Lee. At one point, she is in a hospital with a broken leg meeting Peter (Martin Henderson), a writer haunted by a dark past.
We see Lee in sessions of much-needed therapy with a psychiatrist named Dr. Bloom (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). Jumping around in time, Lee calls her lover John (also Martin Henderson) repeatedly, but the calls go unanswered. Frustrated, she storms over to John’s house because she wants her cameras back. What she finds there leaves her even more of a wreck.
John’s home is empty. Plates of food on a table are covered with creepy-crawly bugs. She sees his car in the driveway, the keys left inside on their hook. Alarm bells go off in her head, and she reports John missing to Police Sergeant Goodman (Meat Loaf) who says, “Maybe he just doesn’t want to see you.”
Jessie (Alia Shawkat), Lee’s enraged and estranged daughter, lives with her father (Navid Negahban), but when Lee suffers a breakdown it is the two of them that help her.
The story has a lot going for it, but gets too convoluted and muddled in clichés. The saving grace is the strong cast. Knowing ahead of time that you’re supposed to be confused will make renting it more enjoyable. Those who love Jennifer Jason Leigh playing dark characters will find the most value in it. She really is fantastic.
Director Jane Weinstock, who co-wrote the script with Gloria Norris, sat down in Manhattan for an exclusive interview for TheBlot Magazine.
Dorri Olds: What would you say the defining “Moment” is in the film?
Jane Weinstock: That depends on how you define the moment. It refers to the moment a picture is taken because Jennifer’s character is a photojournalist, but it is also about the moment in which she says to Martin, “Can I take your picture?” That’s the moment that takes her down a path of no return. Or, it could be the moment when she kisses him, the moment she sees her daughter Jessie standing there, the twist at the end — the film is full of these crucial moments.
Did you enjoy working with Jennifer Jason Leigh?
Yes, she was very collaborative. She’s a writer and director herself, so she had a lot to say about the script. She suggested lines, and I often incorporated her suggestions. She was very helpful.
What inspired you to write about the mother-daughter relationship?
I studied psychoanalysis and feminism and how they come together. My interest was partly from my own relationship with my mom, but also from the relationships of those around me. I think the mother-and-daughter relationship is an interesting topic within feminism, and I wanted to look at that very closely and all of its complexity.
Was your mom a feminist?
Yes. When I was growing up, she was involved with the League of Women Voters, then she went on to be a politician in Florida. She became a member of the House and then a state Senator.
What are you working on now?
A film that takes place in the 1970s and is about the effect of feminism on a family during the sexual revolution. It’s in three parts. Each part is from the point of view of a different family member, the 16-year-old girl and each of her parents.
Where were you during in the 1970s?
I was at Princeton studying Russian cultural history. I went on to study film history and theater. I was in a Ph.D. program and did everything but my dissertation. That’s when I realized I’d rather make films than write about them.
“The Moment” opens in theaters in Los Angeles on June 20, and becomes available on VOD July 8 and DVD Aug. 12. Not rated. 92 min.
Watch the trailer:
Dorri Olds is a contributing journalist for TheBlot Magazine.
