«Welcome to Suburbicon: behind the American dream

Cinema Wednesdays - Nicolas Jutzet

This film evokes the caricatured image that everyone has of the’american way of life. George Clooney manages, without the heaviness we sometimes know him for, to bring out the different characteristics of the country in the Fifties. With an explosive cast, including Matt Damon in an unexpected but masterful role, he has succeeded in making Welcome to Suburbicon a work that should allow every viewer to appreciate the one hundred and five minutes of film.

Behind the idyllic presentation of a peaceful America that allows its middle class to emancipate itself, the scenario opens up perspectives on fundamental questions. In particular, the psychological health of a segment of the population that, drowned by its need for consumption, seems ready to make do with rules and manners. The father-son, man-woman relationship, with its omissions and weaknesses, reveals an unsuspected side of the director's personality.

The African-American community and discrimination

The backdrop, the treatment of the Mayer family, reminds us all that skin color is still a problem for some sections of the population. Insidious or overt, this rejection wreaks havoc that is difficult to justify in an open, tolerant society.

In the end, this successful film has the merit of addressing some of the problems still ravaging the country today, without taking a sanctimonious, blissful approach.

Write to the author: nicolas.jutzet@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Cinéma Utopia