Blake Robbins took on a daunting task: Writing a story about a profoundly sad event in the life of a family. The hazard in such an effort is to fall into tactics of cheap and obvious manipulation. Not only did Robbins tell the story with realism and respect, he carried it through 90 minutes of film further enriched by the right actors, cinematography, musical score and all the other elements of a nearly perfect movie. I did not cry when I watched it, but not because I wasn't moved. Blake put me in David's head and I felt locked in a state of shock and denial. Add David's struggle with middle-aging even before the tragedy, witness the impact on David and Kelly's marriage, the reactions of friends, family and community, and this film feels as real as it possibly could. As art, it is the best possible treatment of one of the darkest aspects of the human condition.
Review of The Sublime and Beautiful
