Stars: 2.5/5
“Private Life” may have you wondering, “How intimate is too intimate for a movie?”
Kathryn Hahn, Paul Giamatti, Molly Shannon and John Carroll Lynch got together to portray story of love, desperation and acceptance in the film “Private Life.” The comedic-drama centers around the private struggle of a couple’s battle for fertility that is quickly made public.
The film made its Netflix debut Oct. 5 after its initial release at Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 18. It definitely gave off the indie film festival vibes because of how simply it was shot, but the story really hit you. You could feel how much they wanted a child and the lengths they were going through to have one. Still, there are some weird feelings when watching it.
As someone who is nowhere near ready to even think about the struggles the couple Rachel and Richard (Hahn and Giamatti) are going through, it felt invasive watching them go through it. Their struggle with fertility seemed like a really intimate situation they should be going through privately. I could only guess that’s the reason the film was named “Private Life.”
The whole film feels like a trap. Of course you hope for the best as you see their struggles, but you know there is no possible way you’re going to get your standard happy ending. Something you can really respect the film for is its honesty. It’s because of its lifelike unpredictability that you feel the need to stick around to see what happens. Much like life, you won’t get the feel good ending you may feel they deserve.
There’s no drama thrown in just for the sake of having it there. You experience every loss and the few victories Rachel and Richard face the same way that they do. There are fights, drama and nudity, and somehow it all fits. Everything just feels so raw and needed.
The film still finds a way to be incredibly uncomfortable to watch at times. But being uncomfortable isn’t always a bad thing, and in this case, it makes you feel a little closer to the characters. It feels as though they let you in to a huge part of their life to experience it with them.
Its artistic value aside, the film will leave you feeling open-ended, almost like you missed something or like none of your questions were answered. Is it too much to ask for a real ending where the story is actually resolved? I understand life doesn’t always end exactly how you thought it would, but an ending would be nice. It’s a thoughtful close to Richard and Rachel’s struggle that shows how the characters somehow developed and stayed exactly where they were.
You won’t be missing much if you pass by “Private Life” when it pops up on your Netflix screen. It’s definitely not a feel-good story, but watching it won’t be a complete waste of time. You’ll somehow feel connected to the characters, which is why the ending will leave you with an uneasy feeling. All you can do is hope for the best and watch how it all plays out.