By Paul Hall
Everyone has a story — where they grew up, the family and friends who shaped their life, and the experiences that were unique to themselves. Some run from the past, others embrace all they are about, while most people do a combination of both. But everyone has a history. Hillbilly Elegy tells one man’s history and the influence it had on shaping his life.
As a child, J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso) longed for more of Kentucky country living. Having lived in Ohio for most of his life, he enjoyed his vacation time there, and it didn’t matter if he was ever really accepted among the others of the community. Acceptance plays a major part in J.D.’s story. As he progresses from Ohio State to Yale, he attempts to better himself and struggles with societal class conventions. It seems that he has to fight to fit in everywhere.
Even at an interview dinner for a prestigious summer position, he gets pulled back into his old life by his sister Lindsay (Haley Bennett). It seems his mom, Bev (Amy Adams), has relapsed and is in need of assistance. Lindsay is overwhelmed by her own life and needs the stability J.D. brings to help the family climb out of this mess. Despite Bev’s struggles, Lindsay and J.D. love their mother and have always done anything for her.
As director Ron Howard tells J.D.’s story, we meet a boy who adores the women in his life in spite of past transgressions. He knows he is loved by his mom, sister and grandmother Mamaw (Glenn Close). Even his current girlfriend Usha (Freida Pinto) loves the man who is always giving of himself, but he struggles to be accepted by everyone else. He’s proud of who he’s become and he’s proud of his family. His experiences, no matter how foreign to some, are reality. A reality he has accepted.
Hillbilly Elegy is a tough watch. It’s a slice-of-life film that isn’t pleasant for many individuals. Yet, Elegy is reality for so many others. Close is unrecognizable as Mamaw and delivers in a role that differs from her career to this point. Adams breaks your heart as the mother who delivers love and disgust in a snap.
Much of the awards chatter will land with Adams and Close and their performances, but I found myself drawn to Basso and Bennett as kids who are trying to do the best by their mom in spite of the past. They portray survivors, and their story is not clean and easy with never a problem or challenge to overcome. They don’t want to leave their past behind, but they do want to rise above for the future.
In writing about this film and viewing it a second time, I like it more than I did after the first go-around. This “day in the life” film isn’t filled with glitz and glimmer; it’s tough to relive, tough to stomach and tough for many to understand.
Not everyone arrives at the same conclusion from taking an identical path. Our journeys are as varied as we are, our stories have good and bad alike, and our lives are always moving, whether we like it or not. Take your walk, experience your life and grow. Use your gifts to create your future as J.D. did, but don’t forget to acknowledge your past.
Paul’s Grade: B
Hillbilly Elegy
Rated R
Stars: Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Gabriel Basso, Haley Bennett, Freida Pinto
Director: Ron Howard
