Indignation (2016) User Reviews

the more things change ...

[ferguson-6 · 8/10 · 4 August 2016]

Greetings again from the darkness. Quite often, Hollywood "period pieces" feel dated and somewhat irrelevant to our world today – as if they were a snapshot from an old magazine. But the best ones transport us to a different era while also serving up themes and characters that are just as interesting and germane today as then … and that's what we have here.

First time director James Schamus (founder of Focus Features) is an Oscar nominated producer (Brokeback Mountain) and writer (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and he tackles the popular 2008 Philip Roth novel … one that the 83 year old novelist admits to being influenced by his own college years. Mr. Roth has been writing novels for more than 50 years and won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1997 "American Pastoral".

Taking on the lead role of college-bound Marcus Messner is Logan Lerman … an actor who has been on screen since he was 8 years old, and seems to have the eternal youth DNA so sought after by Ponce de Leon. While his looks haven't changed much since the "Percy Jackson" films or the excellent The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Lerman shines here as the working class Newark Jewish boy, smothered by his parents, and as naive to the world as he is academically gifted.

It's 1951 and too many neighborhood boys are arriving back home in pine boxes after serving in the Korean War. Marcus' father (Danny Burstein) is a kosher butcher and is half of the hyper-cautious parental unit that is alternatively thankful and frightened that their son is avoiding serving in the military by heading off to ultra-conservative (and fictional) Winesburg College in Ohio.

Once on campus, Marcus discovers little of the hoped-for freedom. Mandatory chapel attendance, roommates assigned via religious leanings, and the expectations of joining the Jewish fraternity and hanging out with his own kind combine to be only a different kind of emotional stifling than what he had at home. A series of events serve to shake up Marcus and his beliefs. Date night with his dream girl from the library ends with him being both repulsed and enchanted by a sexually assertive Olivia (Sarah Gadon). An argument with his lughead roommates ends with his being given the worst dorm room on campus. Meeting with the College Dean (Tracy Letts) results in an exhilarating debate that will surely be treasured by all who adore wordplay and oratory sword-fighting. Finally, an emergency appendectomy brings a hospital visit from Marcus' mother (Linda Emond), and a conversation that drastically alters the course of his life.

The conservative social mores of the 1950's are on full display, as is the restlessness of the young who would change society forever. Fear would be replaced with daring, and the film does a terrific job of highlighting how revolution often comes at a high price. Bookended by war scenes that dramatize the fine line between civilized society and the brutality of war, it all comes together … bringing more power and poignancy to the two best scenes: as previously mentioned, Letts and Lerman go mano y mano in arguing the brilliance of Bertrand Russell, and their word battle highlights the age-old idealist vs. real world struggles; a mother-son scene towards the end is as heart-breaking as any we're likely to see on screen this year. Mr. Letts, Ms. Emond and Ms. Gadon all work well with Logan Lerman in order to provide an excellent presentation of Roth's novel and Schamus' first film.

Well-written and well-acted drama about college life in the early 50s

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 13 August 2016]

"Indignation" (2016 release; 110 min.) brings the early 1950s story of Marcus, a Jersey Jewish kid who's about to go off to college in Ohio. When an older woman learns of this, she responds: "Ohio? How will you keep kosher there?", ha! It's not long before Marcus arrives at the (fictional) Winesburg College in north-central Ohio, where Marcus immerses himself in his studies. But one evening, while working at the library, he notices a strikingly beautiful student. After summoning all of his courage, he finally asks her out for a date... At this point we're not even 15 min. into the movie, but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the big screen adaptation of the Philip Roth novel. I haven't read the book so I cannot comment how closely the movie adaptation sticks to the book. This is also the debut of director James Schamus, best know for previously having co-written several of Ang Lee's movies, including "The Ice Storm". Here Schamus brings to life what things were like in the US while the Korean war was raging. Marcus didn't choose to go to college so as to avoid the draft, but because he just loves learning. It is what gives Marcus his identity. However, encountering Olivia changes all that. The movie moves at a slow pace (and I mean that as a complement), certain scenes literally take minutes and minutes to play out. There are several such scenes that are key to the film (Marcus' meeting with the Dean of Students seems to take up at least 10 minutes), allowing plenty of time to examine subject like religious freedom and the at times stifling academic settings on campus. Schamus is able to extract great performances from the leads, Logan Lerman as Marcus and Sarah Gadon as Olivia. But Trace Letts (better known as the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of such (screen)plays as "Killer Joe" and "August: Osage County" ) almost steals the movie as the Dean of Students.

"Indignation" premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival to major critical acclaim. The movie finally opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and I couldn't wait to see it. The Saturday early evening screening was PACKED, much to my surprise, Who knew there was such a pent-up demand for this film? The audience absolutely loved the film. It might well be that "Indignation" can become a solid hit on the art-house theater circuit. If you are in the mood for a well-written and well-acted drama about being in college in the early 50s, this movie is just for you. "Indignation" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

LJ's QR: Logan Lerman's Best Performance

[ljsmovies · 8/10 · 14 July 2016]

LJ'S QUICK MOVIE REVIEW "Indignation", set in 1951, follows the story of Marcus (Logan Lerman) and his struggles with love and religion. Although his parents Jewish, Marcus is an atheist and often is at odds with his family, school, and community. However, when he meets another student named Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon), everything changes. The movie does an excellent job of portraying the challenging ethical and romantic complications Marcus has to face in his daily life. His character is extremely well- developed and well-written as he has moments of self-doubt, self-discovery, and emotional conflict. Although the movie does have moments of humor, its general tone is somber. Overall, the riveting movie's simple premise is elevated by the great chemistry between the leading actors and the immersing quality of the filmography. As Marcus tries to discover who he wants to be in life, we get a chance to reflect on who we are as well. At its heart, the movie is a captivating journey that explores its protagonist's identity and goals in a heartfelt way. LJ's Grade: B

Really surprising

[Red_Identity · 18 December 2016]

I had no idea what the actual premise for this film was, but I did think it would be a period melodrama that could also prove to be overly sentimental and a little sappy. However, it really surprised me in what it actually turned out to be. It's a coming-of-age take that is different from most that we get. It's very dialogue-driven and that dialogue is just a joy to listen to. The film takes a deep look into the characters' psychologies and doesn't resort to the usual dramatics that films of this type usually do. Logan Lerman is an incredibly talented actor and he once again shows his skill here. A mature and very detailed performance.

Don't expect a Hollywood ending

[Quietb-1 · 7/10 · 12 August 2016]

Perhaps the book answered some of the questions that linger about Olivia's back story. It is hinted that the root of her problem was her father. Maybe the Dean is gay?

You will know from the classical score rather then a happy fifties score this is not going to be a happy movie. Things start out slowly enough with plenty of dialogue driven scenes. The scene in the Dean's office drags on and on. Everything is slow until the punch to the gut, rush fade to black ending.

It's a well made movie with excellent performances. Perhaps dad, a Kosher butcher would keep his head covered.

It's a small movie in limited release. No need to seek it out in a theater as it will play well on a home platform.

A rather unique look at how the little things in life can transform a life

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 13 November 2016]

I don't know why exactly, but this was a film I very much wanted to see, but it was difficult to find in its limited release and I missed it. So, I just bought the newly released Blu Ray edition of it. I'm not sure I can quite express how I feel about the film. There are some very good things about, and some not so good things.

What I like about this film more than anything is that it shows how seemingly small occurrences in a person's life can spiral out of control and have unintended, almost unimaginable, consequences. In films we often see big events unfolding and impacting a person's life, but in this film it is the everyday living that unfolds and leads to a sad ending.

The second thing I really liked here were 2 performances. One by the star -- Logan Lerman -- whom I predict we will be seeing a lot of in the future. It's a very fine and somewhat understated performance that shows great sensitivity. The other performance is that of the mother -- Linda Emond.

And, though there are only minutes of film about the Korean War, the film, in a very unique way, shows the personal tragedy of war.

What didn't I like? The ending. Hated it. In terms of storytelling, it's a realistic ending. But it's not what we want for our main character at all.

Lots of people won't like this film. Others, like me, will be quite touched by it.

A sincere and heartfelt film

[howard.schumann · 9/10 · 14 August 2016]

Fitting certain decades into neat little categories are repeated often enough that they have become unquestioned clichés, for example, the 50s were an age of conformity, the 60s an age of youth revolt, and the 70s the so-called "Me Generation." As in all generalizations, there is some aspect of truth even when there is a different reality that does not fit into the stereotypes. Based on the novel by Philip Roth, first-time director James Schamus' Indignation is the story of an individual who was willing to challenge prevailing attitudes. Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman) is a young Jewish intellectual brought up in a liberal environment who struggles to find his voice in an Ohio college that is a bastion of social conservatism.

Set in 1951 in Newark, N.J., tired of having to cope with the anxieties of his parents, dad Max (Danny Burstein), a kosher butcher, and mom Esther (Linda Emond) about going off to fight in the Korean War, Marcus enrolls on a scholarship to the fictional Winesburg College in Ohio, a school whose social and cultural attitudes present a hefty challenge. Marcus is intellectually precocious but socially constrained and sexually repressed and the breakout performance by Logan Lerman ("The Perks of Being a Wallflower") fully captures him in all his Rothian complexity.

The fact that he has two Jewish roommates, Bert (Ben Rosenfield) and Ron (Philip Ettinger) is of very little comfort since they are both obnoxious hypocrites. Marcus is very cautious about his social activities, declining an invitation by Sonny Cottler (Pico Alexander) to join the Jewish fraternity. When he goes on a date with Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon), an "experienced" blond-haired Gentile who shocks him by performing oral sex on him, an action in which the confused Marcus wasn't sure if he was coming or going. Overly concerned about what may have been the damage to his Cadillac LaSalle that Marcus borrowed, Ron reacts by punching his roommate in the mouth. Needless to say, this does not endear him to his dorm mates and prompts Marcus to find quieter living arrangements - by himself.

This action prompts a call from the self-righteous Dean Caudwell (Tracy Letts) to come in for an interview that takes fifteen minutes of screen time, a tour-de-farce (sic) which is both sad and funny and a master class in turning verbal sparring into an art form. While the Dean takes a welcome interest in Marcus, the interview turns into a riff on the Spanish Inquisition as the student is bombarded with questions about his application for school - why his father's occupation was listed as "butcher" rather than as "kosher butcher," why he did not put Jewish as his religious preference, why he couldn't work out his differences with his roommates, and why he has had only one date since school started. The only thing he wasn't asked is whether or not he was circumcised.

Sputtering and obsequious at first, Marcus gains strength as the interview goes on. Showing that, as Romain Rolland put it in "Jean-Christophe," he is not a sheep but a wolf that has teeth and wasn't made for the pasture, he lets the good Dean know in no uncertain terms that, as an atheist, he resents being forced to attend chapel services at least ten times a year and vigorously asserts his atheism by citing Bertrand Russell (whose character the Dean attacks), and lets the old boy know that he is his own man and that if he wants to move away from his insufferable roommates, he will do just that. Vomiting on the Dean's trophies and collapsing from the pain of an appendicitis attack was not in his plan, however, but life has a way of deciding the lessons it wants to teach.

Marcus is unwilling to let the good times roll and his relationship with Olivia takes a darker turn when he finds out that she has had a troubled past and once tried to commit suicide, though we never learn any details. Though their connection is deep and Marcus is a young man whose head is screwed on right, his continued revolt against authority and conflict with his parents does not serve him well. As philosopher Henri Bergson said, "Each step of the journey is made by following the heart instead of following the crowd and by choosing knowledge over the veils of ignorance." Though Indignation is a slow burn that keeps the lid on its emotions, it ultimately succeeds in moving us deeply. Much more than another corporate product with an uplifting message to make sure that waterworks turn into greenbacks, it is a sincere and heartfelt film that illuminates the struggle against a suffocating conformity, a struggle that is just as relevant today as it was in 1950.

Dead as a fish on land

[jakob13 · 6/10 · 17 August 2016]

James Shamas' adaption of Philip Roth's 'Indignation' is a disappointment. It is a sentimental treatment of Roth's novel, which isn't sentimental.

'Indignation' opens with a father's recitation of 'kadish', a prayer for the dead and it ends with another one. The voice over is unchanging in tone; it is a voice that comes from beyond the grave. Hollywood has found a lode of good fortune in returning to the early days of post-war America. In such films say as 'Trumbo' and 'Bridge of Spies', it has torn off the skin of race nationality confusion of what it to be an American. 'Indignation' falls square in that time, in the early years of the Korea War, and the basso continuo of what became the McCarthy era. We are in Newark, New Jersey at half-century in 20 century America. Newark is a Jewish enclave of hard working people, loyal Americans, but live in a self-contained ghetto of sorts, sheltered as it is from the American mainstream. We are far from the melting pot; the Jews like other ethnics live separately but add variety to life in America. Newark sends its sons to fight in Europe or the Pacific, and at the time of film to the 'forgotten war' in Korea.

An excellent student Markie is going to college, and as such, he is exempt from the draft and almost certain death in faraway Korea.

Newark may be the center of Markie's world, but in tone and in accept and in customs, they are far from the world of the native colonial stock of English whose manners and ways and power and religion that formed the United States.

Newark is wrapped in a blanket of its weaving. And Markie is no more wiser to broader life because of that.

He goes to Winesberg College that, too, embodies small town America, but with a difference. As an institution, it may be as provincial and small-minded as Newark, but it represents the Anglo-Saxon attitudes that set the narrow boundaries of what is permissible and what is not in religion, in thought, stifling any personal life of the mind or thought beyond the mores of the day.

Markie is an innocent, and in his naivety is his downfall. The dean confronts him for his inability to embrace college life to the fullest. Massner is an atheist who chaffs at attending obligatory weekly chapel with its emphasis on strong, muscular Protestant values; these values are an inversion of his Jewish environment; they affront his staunch rationalism.

He defends his value before the dean to whom he refers insistently as 'Sir', not 'Dean', which to this symbol of authority is an affront and an act of will that challenges 'society' as Winesberg defines it.

In spirit, it mirrors the witch hunt of the times, on which Lillian Hellman pinned the tag of 'scoundrel', if not scurrilous.

Markie is a young man of feelings. He is a virgin and falls for a young woman, unloved by her family and is emotionally and mentally unstable.

And his very own inexperience and his own idealism lead to his expulsion from college and ultimately to his death in Korea.

'Indignation' is a dirge. It evokes an America that strangely reflects the passions and solipsism of today.

There is little to fault from cinematic values. And yet, the not unsubtle tone of anti-Semitism is never far from the surface. It is the age of the Rosenbergs and what that means. It is an age of purifying the American mind of liberal thought and open mindedness in a Manichean world of them and us, of the Commies and we the Freedom loving people.

It is no accident that the Korean War plays in the background. It is a war that the US didn't win, and has forgotten, even though it thought of itself as the arsenal of democracy of defenders of the Free World.

Now in the 21century, 'Indignation' speaks to our condition of intolerance and muscular politics and war. It has cut its cloth to the same provincialism and anger and pride that has been hurt that Roth wrote about.

Some of the most outstanding dialog in a movie

[phd_travel · 10/10 · 19 August 2016]

It's so good to watch a movie where the dialog is outstanding - funny heartbreaking, frustrating and meaningful. Really listen to the dialog. There are some scenes which are just so outstanding - the first meeting in the dean' office and then when the mother talks to her son about his father and then his girlfriend. The characters are not stereotypical. The Jewish protective father instead of mother is an interesting thing to watch. Although the issues are 50s issues, this is not an old fashioned or irrelevant movie. The acting is so good I only thought about the themes and message of the story later on.

Logan Lerman's sensitive face is just right for this role. The character could seem stubborn and annoying if another actor had played him, but Logan has a likability that overcomes that. Sarah Gadon as the girl he loves is fascinating to watch as the well mannered but damaged beauty. An unforgettable character. Tracy Letts as the dean plays it just right - not a caricature of conservatism but another fascinating creature to watch. Linda Emond is restrained and effective as the worried mother.

This is a serious movie with some unexpected humor in between. A must watch - one of the best dramas in recent years.

You'll probably enjoy it if you admire Philip Roth

[Red-125 · 6/10 · 14 August 2016]

Indignation (2016) is based on the novel by Philip Roth. It was directed by James Schamus. The movie is set in 1951, during the height of the Korean War. It stars Logan Lerman as Marcus, a young Jewish man from Newark, who receives a scholarship to a small liberal arts college in Ohio. At that time, college students received a draft deferment, so when Marcus goes to college, it's actually more than education--it's a matter of life and death.

Marcus doesn't fit in well at college, although he gets good grades. He's brilliant, but outspoken, and he's not big on compromise. The pivotal point around which the plot revolves is his love for an undergraduate, Olivia Hutton, played by Sarah Gadon. Olivia is everything Marcus is not--rich, Christian, and sophisticated. However, she has significant emotional problems, which emerge gradually as the movie progresses.

Both lead actors are excellent, although Sarah Gadon is too old for the role. She's supposed to be 20 or 21, but, in reality she's 29. And, although she's strikingly attractive, she's not a youthful 29. Before I checked, I guessed that she was in her late 20's or early 30's, and that's just not right for this movie. Couldn't director Schamus find a beautiful 20-yet-old actor to play Olivia?

The producers have set this period piece with extraordinary precision. I went to a small, small-town, liberal arts college in the 1950's, and that's what it looked like. They've gotten it right to the last detail.

I've never cared for Philip Roth as an author, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I didn't care for this movie. I haven't read the book, but I've read the synopsis, and the movie is quite faithful to the novel. If you like Roth, you'll probably like Indignation. It just wasn't the film for me.

We saw this movie at the excellent Little Theatre in Rochester, NY. It will work as well on the small screen. (Just make sure the screen is large enough to allow you to enjoy the details of the sets, automobiles, and costumes.)

Roth's excellent dialogue is well-preserved but oeuvre is subsumed by weak plot and theme of karmic conniptions

[Turfseer · 5/10 · 18 September 2016]

In his feature directorial debut, James Schamus also wrote the screenplay based on the Philip Roth 2008 novel of the same name. Having read the novel after viewing the film, I was astounded at just how little Schamus changed when adapting the novel to the screen. Substantial portions of the dialogue appear almost verbatim, and even the plot--except for a few minor changes--pretty much reads the same.

The setting is at the fictional Winesburg College in Ohio during the early days of the Korean War. Logan Lerman is believable as Marcus Messner, the only child of a Kosher butcher Max (Danny Burstein) who worries incessantly about his son, who is away from home for the first time. The father's worrying foreshadows the son's tragic fate, revealed at film's end as almost a random happenstance.

The film breaks into Act Two when Marcus meets Olivia Hutton, a blonde, non-Jewish co-ed who has a past history of psychiatric problems. Unfortunately Hutton is just there to move the plot along, solidifying Roth's main theme of "bad things happen to good people," and the inevitability of fate or Karmic resolutions in the universe.

The insecure Marcus marvels how he ends up the recipient of a blow job on a first date with Olivia but soon learns that she was hospitalized before entering college after a suicide attempt. Roth never develops Olivia's character and she makes a rather unceremonious exit even before the film's denouement, reportedly experiencing an (off screen) nervous breakdown, and mysteriously withdrawing from college upon orders of her well-connected physician father.

The main plot involves Marcus' conflict with Dean Cauldwell (Tracy Letts), an uptight martinet who calls Marcus to his office and dresses him down for not getting along with his roommates. He makes unreasonable demands on Marcus who defends himself adroitly, arguing that his private life has nothing to with his academic performance, which up until this point has been more than exemplary.

There's a good bit of excellent Rothian dialogue here but the long monologues work better in the novel than in the film. Particularly of note is the debate over the Nobel Prize-winning philosopher, Bertrand Russell, who is one of Marcus' heroes. Cauldwell's pejorative description of Russell is almost worth the price of admission: "four times married, a blatant adulterer, an advocate of free love, a self- confessed socialist dismissed from his university position for his antiwar campaigning during the First World War and imprisoned for that by the British authorities."

The other one of Marcus' effective foils is his mother Esther (played with great verisimilitude by the noted stage actress, Linda Emond), who is cast in the role of protector from ravenous Shiksas. Emond rivals Letts for best monologue especially at the moment when she gets Marcus to agree not to see Olivia anymore ("The world is full of young women who have not slit any wrists-who have slit nothing. They exist by the millions. Find one of them. She can be a Gentile, she can be anything. This is 1951").

Except for some good dialogue, Indignation features too many negative characters without many redeeming points. Marcus' roommates all seem to have it in for him, especially Flusser, whose record-playing at loud volumes, drives Marcus to seek his own living quarters. Even Cottler, the popular head of a Jewish fraternity, sets Marcus up (however inadvertently) for his final fall from grace.

Despite his academic accomplishments, Marcus becomes his own worst enemy by refusing to attend double the amount of Chapel visits as punishment for utilizing a stand-in to attend services that violate his treasured Atheistic beliefs. Again, it's another severe character, in the form of Dean Cauldwell, who delivers the final coup de grace of expulsion from the college.

All this highlights Roth's (and Schamus') fatalistic theme which involves how for many of us, bucking fate is pretty much an impossibility. Against all odds (or so it seems), Marcus is caught violating University policy while others of lesser rank had previously, with great success, "bucked the system." Other events appear to have led to Marcus' doom including his involvement with the mentally ill Olivia (the innocent "hand job" she gives him while he's convalescing in the hospital after a bout of appendicitis, leads to a rather bad reputation) and Dean Cauldwell's unforgiving stance seals his fate.

Marcus' fate indeed is book ended at the beginning and end of the picture. As it turns out, Max and Esther's only child is condemned to die on the distant battlefields of Korea. Perhaps in real life, Marcus would not have had to oppose the straw men he's pitted up against in this work of fiction and would have avoided such a deleterious fate, held up as both literary and filmic coup, by the film's proud and undeserved scenarists.

Ah, Hell

[untilnow99 · 10/10 · 12 November 2016]

Most user reviews of this movie seem to summarize the movie, commenting here and there on the style of the movie, the setting, various characters' performances and the plot. Dry stuff and not for me. Why tell people what took place or what didn't take place?

I would like to share with you how this movie made me FEEL. Indignation, I think, is not a film for everyone. It's not an action film, there aren't superheroes flitting back and forth. There's no shocker or scary moments (unless you consider horribly, insanely edgy moments scary) and not much to smile about, either.

Indignation, nevertheless, sent me reeling. I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop thinking about how it ended. (I hope that's not a spoiler for you, but I checked the "spoiler" box, just in case.) I can't stop thinking about the dialogue and the characters and even how the music was just so, so perfect. Oh, how I hate it when the "background" music tells us how to think or feel. Not the music in Indignation. Extra points for whomever it was who so deftly scored this movie.

My mind keeps oozing back to the scene with The Dean. "Call me 'Dean.'" I can hear Max's indignant and wonderfully skillful telling off of The Dean. What terrific writing, Mr. Roth!

Olivia broke my heart. I guess I'm kind of silly, because it never occurred to me who she was---- well, I don't want to spoil it for you completely. She haunts me something awful.

Obviously, Olivia's Dad had damaged her. We can all guess how. Daddy's little girl, pleasing men the way she was called upon to please Dad. No wonder she was so fragile and full of pain.

I don't want to go on and on. Just thinking about Indignation makes me feel indignant. I keep saying to myself, "Ah, Hell," over and over. I wish I could have stepped in and helped Max and Olivia. I wish I could have made things right. I wish I wasn't so useless. Most of all, I wish I hadn't fallen in love with them both, because it hurts. It really really hurts.

The talented always loses

[sharpmonica · 6/10 · 13 November 2016]

Roth always writes about talented people who ruined their lives or had bad luck. His books that made to movies are always very well casted and the performances are great. Indignation is the story of a conflicted Jewish young man who could have a great future ahead if he didn't meet a spoiled disturbed woman whose only way to relate to man was through sex. There was not one single meaningful intelligent dialogue between of them. It was about sex. I am not sure about what was the message Roth was trying to send to us. The book and the movie would be great if the had focused in Marcus rebellion against the status quo. Marcus as a rebel was an amazing character. Marcus as the object of a disturbed spoiled woman was pathetic. I realize I don't relate to Roth stories. It is not the winner takes it all, but there is no winner in Roth's world.

Yuck.

[kz917-1 · 2/10 · 3 April 2017]

So much darkness and despair. A young man from a Jewish family goes to college, but he himself is an atheist but attends a conservative college where chapel is mandatory. Boy meets sexually adventurous girl. Boy is unsure what to think of said girl, but continues receiving hand and mouth favors from said girl. Girl jumps down the mental rabbit hole, again boy is unsure what to think or do. By the end of the film I was just glad it was over. Not since Ordinary People have I seen such a large amount of the plot revolve around sexual gratification. Skip It.

Young Jewish student goes to Ohio, becomes indignant at what he is asked to do.

[TxMike · 5 December 2016]

We watched this at home on DVD. We both enjoyed the movie.

It is about a young Jewish student from Newark, NJ. It is 1951, in the shadow of the Korean War, and he goes off to college to a conservative school in Ohio. He is a serious student, very intelligent and very sure of his stance on assorted issues. Like religion, even though his upbringing is Jewish he considers himself an Atheist.

INDIGNATION: anger or annoyance provoked by what is perceived as unfair treatment.

And that is largely what the story is about. The student is Logan Lerman as Marcus. He wants to be left alone, his two roommates are annoying, and he also finds the Jewish fraternity guys annoying, he wants nothing to do with them. He wants to spend his time on study and work, he has no time for frivolous pursuits.

For me the highlight of the whole movie is the scene in the office of the Dean of Men who called Marcus in for a chat after Marcus requested a different room. The thrust of the Dean's discussion is if young Marcus always flees disagreement instead of working things out, a skill needed in the real world. As the DVD extra points out, this scene runs rather long, about 13 pages of script, where the usual guidance limits a scene to about 3 pages of script. But the scene works wonderfully, we get to peek inside young Marcus and see what really makes him tick. Both actors, Lerman and Tracy Letts as Dean Caudwell, are remarkably good.

The love interest is played by Sarah Gadon as very pretty student Olivia Hutton, who takes a liking to young Marcus and shows him some of the less obvious pleasures of boy-girl encounters.

Overall a very fine movie with superb acting.

SPOILERS: The movie actually opens and closes in the present time, an older Olivia is in a special care facility, as we saw in the 1950s she had some emotional issues and slit her wrists at least once. Back in 1950s young Marcus objected to the requirement that he accumulate at least 40 hours in Chapel, and eventually paid someone to go for him and fill out the card with Marcus' name. But they were both caught, Marcus was expelled, he entered the draft and was killed in Korea.

Some great stuff with pedestrian stuff

[ritera1 · 6/10 · 10 December 2017]

A very fine and very long scene in the midst of all this that warrants a large portion of the points I have given between the lead and the Dean of the college he attends. Although it had a good amount of room to be even better, it was a stellar achievement. That and the tragic ending of the hero.

But much of was quite odd.

Very long intro of sorts to the college kid Marcus played by Logan Lerman. Several redundant scenes where we are repeatedly shown the same thing. Problems with the parents, which I found to be irrelevant to the story as a whole. The colorful elements of the room mates that went nowhere.

But this was the love story between Lerman and Sarah Gadon. Not only did the first date not take place until 40 minutes in, we have no real idea of her until the date, other than she is strikingly pretty. On top of that the character apparently asked for the date off-camera.

The first date was intriguing but vague at the same time. She's a bit odd, sure. But then very quickly to the blow job.

Now I know it took place in 1951 and there was an element of trying to make him overwhelmed by the actions. But he wasn't until several days after the fact. All in all, I didn't buy his apathy, even in that time frame.

And she was supposedly mentally unstable, which was never really evident to me. Her scene of being very attracted to him rang false and his continual apathy was false. He was established as inexperienced and would have easily fallen under her spell.

But then the whole relationship, although both charming people, was based around quite a lot of hand jobs. Yes, even though the character's mental history was presented, I did not get that from the portrayal, which is the fault of the director.

Thus, I was open to a volatile relationship based on passion but was given an odd fixation on hand jobs between two reasonable people.

Subsequently could have cut out the difficulties the mother was having with the kid's father. It had zero relevance to anything, was described completely in dialogue when it should have been shown and took away from the love story. I just kept thinking that the mother should give the father hand jobs.

The device to get our hero kicked out of college and sent to Korea was very false. This kid had established a relationship with the Dean, whose sermons he was required to attend on a weekly basis in order to graduate. But they insisted on having him hire another student to sit in for him (as I knew that would lead to the inevitable).

There was a sad poetry to the final outcome but too little, too late.

Good acting. A lot good as a production. Movie couldn't commit to a theme

[isaacthe · 6/10 · 24 January 2019]

Starts with openings. Only one was necessary. Takes a bit because of this to really get into what the film is really about. And what is it about, truly? I've never read the book so forgive me maybe missing a thing. I heard "life is a sum of consequences of the many choices you make" Okay, so that's the theme? Maybe. The movie isn't sold on that. So is it about the oppressiveness of culture, institutional religion, dangers of being open minded in the 50's? Maybe, they're surely all in there. Although it's not always clear which side the writer wants us to be on, (which I'm fine with. I actually applaud the writer for leaving debate and issues more realistically open and fairly stated) The ending is expectedly ambiguous as to be expected with festival seeking cinema. Gotta be edgy right? But it seemed like a dark ending for purely that sake, not because it actually was edgy or thought provoking, further than, "what was her last name at the end?" It skipped certain plot point scenes yet had scenes like the two unnecessary preopening scenes. I'd still call this a "good film", it just seemed like a new writer with a long successful career ahead. The kind he/she looks back on and learned from the mistakes. But what the hell do I know. They don't pay me the big bucks.

A Must-See Drama

[jadepietro · 9/10 · 26 August 2016]

(RATING: ☆☆☆☆½ out of 5 ) THIS FILM IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. IN BRIEF: An underrated film that deserves to be seen...one of the year's best dramas. GRADE: A- SYNOPSIS: In 1951, a young Jewish man goes to college to avoid the Korean War and falls in love with serious consequences. JIM'S REVIEW: Based on Philip Roth's novel, Indignation tells the familiar story of a young repressed Jewish man falling in love (or lust) with a beautiful Gentile woman in the 1950's era. A rehash of Goodbye Columbus without the comic edge and irony, this film follows a similar outline by the same author, but is far more solemn and serious in its treatment. This is typical Roth territory in which our hero will try to overcome the obstacles placed in his path as fate deals its upper hand. Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman) is an intellectual loner. Yearning to escape from his domineering Jewish family, he goes off to a conservative Christian college rather than fighting in the Korean War. It is there he meets Olivia (Sarah Gadon), a beautiful blonde vision of loveliness and their first date leads to a budding romance. It is also there that he encounters an omnipotent and powerful head dean, Dean Caudwell (Tracy Letts, in a powerful performance, but more on that later), who has great difficulty coming to terms with this all too rational and radical student and avowed atheist. The screenplay adaptation by James Schamus, who also directed the film, is first rate. It allows the characters to intellectualize their philosophies with such eloquence. The film starts off a bit too leisurely but establishes characters and place so effortlessly. The film structure begins as a flashback with narrative voice-over that doesn't really make much sense until its full circle ending, with one of the most powerful closing shots that emotionally left me gasp. Mr. Schamus' literate script aligns with his skillful direction, as this talented filmmaker captures the mindset of this nostalgic but troubled era in an understated fashion. (Speaking of fashions, the costume design by the gifted Ann Roth is a visual treat as well.) About the midway point, there is a remarkable dramatic scene that highlights the glorious direction, screenplay, and acting unlike any other film thus far this year. It is a rather lengthy confrontation between our idealist liberal young hero sparring with a smug conservative dean. The teacher becomes intellectually inferior to his student as their conversation continues. The tension builds ominously and slowly in this cat-and mouse gamesmanship, maneuvering from one point of view to the next. It is startling its its subtlety and impact. Simply put, it is the highlight of this film and one of the most engrossing scenes one will see this year in any film. The acting is superb. Mr. Lerman as Marcus is perfectly cast and carries off the innocence of youth angle in this coming-of-age tale. This actor commands the screen and makes his character quite believable and caring. His love interest played by Ms. Gadon definitely looks the part, but her acting skills never reach the depth of her written character. She needed to be that 50's female icon, a Grace Kelly type, but comes off as a second-tier Kim Novak or a third -rate Cybil Shepard. She's good, but not good enough when compared to the stellar acting by others in this movie. The film is populated with top-notch Broadway veterans in supporting roles who certainly know their way around a script. Danny Burstein plays Marcus' over-protective father and he is so strong in his nuanced acting that one wishes he had more screen time. Adding fine support in smaller roles are Ben Rosenfield and Pico Anderson. But there are two truly great performances that deserve award recognition: Linda Emond as Esther, Marcus' loving mother, who has a wonderful speech as she tries to steer her son into making the right decision. It is delivered with such skill and passion. Tracy Leets as the egotistical and bigoted Dean Caudwell, is a marvel, creating one of the most terrifying teacher role models since J.K. Simmon's sadistic teacher in Whiplash. The hatred and intolerance of others is so condensed in Mr. Leets' body language and facial expressions that the end results counteract his words in the most unsettling manner. (Oscar voters, are you listening?) The film's theme about life' s choices, about the road we take or did not take, about the small detours that can have consequences which will eternally haunt our existence, is foremost in this thought-provoking story. Mr. Schamus has made an compelling case with his wonderful debut, Indignation. Let us hope this independent film makes a compelling reason with the movie-going audience for compulsory viewing and is not lost amid the blockbusters and cinematic hyperbole that is usually the par for the summer course. Run to see this film while you can! It demands your attention!

My opinion

[amedooalkbi · 6/10 · 5 January 2021]

I liked the movie didn't love it just like it here is why. 1- Main character is just stupid with all his intolerance and never being understanding and just always taking things seriously. 2- The ending is so normal, An ending of a movie should have a surprise to it. 3- They focused mostly on Markie and totally ignored the other characters especially olivia.

In the end it's my opinion so please be kind.

Great Acting, But Very Depressing..

[angelsunchained · 10/10 · 12 December 2016]

What can I say? This movie started out like a seemingly carefree experience about college life in the repressed early 1950s. Somewhere along the line, it does a complete about face and becomes an extremely serious take on pre-material sex, interfaith romance,the belief or lack of in God, the misfortunes of war and destiny. The performances were all outstanding and captured the morals and the social structure of the early 1950s. At times, some scenes were a bit long and slightly dull, but this reflects on the concept of this film....life can be dull and boring until one opens up their being to new experiences. Wuthout giving the ending away, it is a surprise and extremely depressing. I like happy endings and unfortunately, this film ending ranks as one of the most depressing in film history. Still, if you love great acting, see this film. 10 out of 10.

Life is unexplained, but to keep it going depends on the events surround it/us.

[Reno-Rangan · 7/10 · 14 November 2016]

The film certainly defines two things, the life is unpredictable and the college life in the 1950s. Based on the book of the same name, made by a producer turned director which is his first attempt. A pure drama that follows a Jewish American student who is pursuing a degree in a small Ohio college. The film reveals his social skills, confused romance with a troubled girl, having differences with the college dean and many more.

Definitely a better film than I anticipating. Initially I did not get some parts of the narration, but there are more details in pieces and we have to put them in the right places. For example the editing was a bit confusing, particularly about present, past and future events. But at the end you will understand everything, I think. The twist was average, though very good, it totally altered the entire perspective. Logan Lerman is getting better and better in his every new film and Sarah Gadon as well getting more sexier every day.

Whatever it narrates us in the mid part, in the end it sticks to the point on what it opened with. So it is more about life like how a small mistake can change everything forever. But it's also how a big mistake can lead to preserve some sweet memories till life continues in whatever state. A practical subject dealt in a thoughtful way as much as possible. For some people it will be a must see, but surely worth a watch by everyone.

7/10

This movie is horrible, Time i cant get back.

[jonathanastickneypublic · 1/10 · 11 October 2017]

(no spoilers in the following section) While the movie and characters are well constructed and an interesting story is told, it ultimately falls apart in a way the writers, directors and everyone involved should have known. Mistakes like these continue to be made and when the movies fail, those involved are somehow surprised. This movie barely broke 3 million dollars world wide. They failed to ask themselves "Who in this world goes to a movie saying 'i want to leave the theater depressed as heck'". The answer is 'Nobody'. News got around and nobody want to see this film.

(spoilers follow from here, though not super specific) This movie had a path to greatness and the writers ignored it. They opted for a depressing movie, once they change gears from happy to sad, The mother blackmails the son into leaving his G/f, She gets committed and gets shock therapy and no longer seems to be... 'alive', (she lost her spark), he gets kicked out of school because the principal is a horrible person who hates atheists(violating the law in doing so) and then he dies in the Korean war because hes not in school. Its like they thought "hay how could we make this as sad as possible? how could we ruin a great movie and loving relationships?"

The decision is in, this is a great one!

[ccorral419 · 10/10 · 21 August 2016]

Well respected Producer James Schamus ("Brokeback Mountain", "HULK", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") leaps into the directors chair with ease and beauty, presenting a youth oriented torrid love story set against the Korean War. At the heart of the film is Marcus (Logan Lerman - "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" 2012), a young Jewish boy searching for the meaning of life, death and love. His attraction, Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon - "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"), is herself at odds with society. While the two fight for their existence, Dean Caudwell (Tracy Letts - Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of "Killer Joe" and "August: Osage County") and Marcus' mother Ester (Linda Emond) are present to question their every move. Under Schamus'superb direction, the film moves slowly and deliberately, enabling every nuance of each characters story to build with tension and angst, keeping the audience wondering if and when the characters may implode. Based on the novel by Philip Roth (which I haven't read), Schumas has written an outstanding story, featuring top rated dialogue exchanges between Marcus, Dean Caudwell and his mother. Set in 1951 Ohio, Cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt and Costumes by Amy Roth enable the film to feel comfortable and familiar. Marcus' classmates Philip Ettinger and Ben Rosenfield, and his father Max (Danny Bursting), are perfect contradictions to everything Marcus believes in. "Indignation" is a grown-up film that beautifully captures youth oriented angst of family, friends, love and purpose. Don't miss this one! Award recognition is sure to follow here.

Logan Lerman

[letsintra · 7/10 · 26 March 2020]

Movie that in the begining promises a lot, but after like is going nowhere. Great Logan Lerman, interesting role.

Boring

[khemby-63416 · 4/10 · 13 January 2017]

I love to watch period pieces so I was excited for this. This movie was so boring and dull. I only watched the whole thing because I thought the end would be magnificent. Wrong. The slow pace of this movie couldn't keep me interested. The actors were trying their best with what they had. They talked so slow throughout. Only a couple brief parts had any spark to them. Storyline was OK. I did feel as if this was 1950's based. The attire and scenery was very believable. Just couldn't keep me involved and I tried. The two main characters were developed and I wanted to see where they would go. However, I see all these rave reviews and I feel as if they watched a different movie than I did. Snoozer.