Natural Enemies (1979)

On the surface, a Manhattan magazine publisher (Hal Holbrook) would seem to have it all: a farm house in Connecticut, an artist wife (Louise Fletcher) and three kids. But one morning he wakes up and plans to kill his wife and kids that night. Based on the novel by Julius Horwitz and directed by Jeff Kanew (V.I. WARSHAWSKI). This is the type of film I would classify as an ambitious failure. It raises a lot of issues about the protagonist's alienation but doesn't provide any real understanding of his situation. He doesn't seem keen on getting therapy or attempting to resolve those issues, he just seems to have given up! Surely a divorce would be the answer rather than massacring his family. With all the problems the working class has just struggling to survive, it's difficult to empathize with a privileged upper middle class Caucasian male who's unhappy with his lot in life. Of course, a true film artist (like a Bergman or Antonioni) could do exactly that but Kanew is no Bergman. The acting is good though. The score is by Don Ellis (THE FRENCH CONNECTION). With Jose Ferrer, Viveca Lindfors and Patricia Elliott.