An intimate and beautifully performed drama, Ordinary People features the directorial debut of Robert Redford, who brings stirring emotion and impressive skill to this story of an affluent family crumbling under the façade of normalcy.
The Jarrett family seem to have it all. Dad Calvin (Donald Sutherland) has a successful career; mum Beth (Mary Tyler Moore) has fun mingling with her socialite friends; and son Conrad (Timothy Hutton) is a bright high school student on the swim squad. But scratch the facade and you will find deep cracks in this shiny veneer caused by the accidental drowning of their oldest son Buck (Scott Doebler) while on a sailing trip.
Conrad especially feels guilty, since he was on the boat with Buck when it capsized. A subsequent suicide attempt by Conrad places the Jarrett house in a quiet disarray, where only hushed whispers are allowed when it comes to talk of depression or death. Robert Redford, in his directorial debut, establishes a world where these “ordinary people” are segregated by invisible, unhealthy walls of silence and denial.
Lost in this world is young Conrad. He seeks refuge in psychiatrist Dr Tyrone Berger (Judd Hirsch), who in many ways is the antithesis of every adult figure in his life. The scenes with Hutton and Hirsch are excellent, and subsequently sets the tone in the decades since for psychiatry scenes, especially evident in movies like Good Will Hunting.
Timothy Hutton made his feature film debut in Ordinary People, and it is a turn more than worthy of its supporting Oscar win (especially since he is very much the lead in the film). Hutton brings forth Conrad’s struggle with depression and guilt with intimate, sensitive poise, never overreaching or undercutting the problems this young man – and indeed many young men – struggle with.
Donald Sutherland shines as a father trying to keep his family together as they fall apart at the seams, and Mary Tyler Moore delivers an excellent against type turn as a mother who refuses to acknowledge the new reality upon her once perfect world. Hirsch provides the right moments of levity and humour, and Elizabeth McGovern provides great chemistry in the role of Hutton’s girlfriend.
The popular opinion about actors turned directors is that they prioritise performance above all else. While this may be true for Ordinary People, there is no denying Redford’s approach toward story, location, and the once taboo issues of depression and suicide, are also handled with a master filmmakers touch, resulting in a movie that is as impressive in its craft, as it is immersive in its approach to its subject matter.