Unhook the Stars

An American family film. Mildred is a widow living alone. Her children are grown; she is at odds with her daughter and her son is busy with his own family. The house is large, quiet and more orderly than it needs to be. There is a knock at the door. Monica from across the way wants help: she has to work and there is nobody to look after her six-year-old son. She is blunt, hurried and swears while she talks. Mildred agrees. The boy comes every morning. The arrangement changes both their lives. Mildred feels needed again; Monica meets someone she can rely on for the first time. At the same time Mildred's own life opens: she learns to drive, goes out and meets a lorry driver. What the film is interested in is not old age but being wanted for oneself rather than because someone needs care. The narrative leans on no large events; it proceeds through kitchen conversations, phone calls and school gates. Gena Rowlands plays Mildred, Marisa Tomei plays Monica and Gérard Depardieu the lorry driver. Nick Cassavetes directed; it is his first film and he is directing his mother. A warm choice for anyone who likes character drama and calm independent film. For a viewer waiting for events, the narrative stays inside ordinary life.