The Kids Are All Right (2010)

Lisa Cholodenko (HIGH ART) directs this captivating film on a most unusual family dynamic and I suspect it may be her breakthrough film (it was an audience favorite at this year‘s Sundance festival). The two children (Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson) of a lesbian couple (Annette Bening, Julianne Moore) seek out their sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo) out of curiosity and what follows affects all five of them in ways they never expected. Outside of a few cheap laughs that are beneath it, Cholodenko’s film is both funny and insightful, touching and heartbreaking without pandering itself to the audience. The characters are refreshingly two dimensional and, considering the subject matter, not stereotypes. The acting is first rate and Wasikowska who was a zero as Alice in Burton’s recent ALICE IN WONDERLAND displays a presence and charm she lacked as Alice. With this year's MOTHER AND CHILD and now this, Bening is having a great year. Highly recommended.