Indignation (2016)

In 1951, Marcus, a working-class Jewish student from New Jersey, attends a small Ohio college, where he struggles with sexual repression and cultural disaffection, amid the ongoing Korean War.

Director:

James Schamus

Writers:

Philip Roth (based on the novel by), James Schamus (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, Tijuana Ricks

7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tijuana Ricks	...	Old Age Home Nurse
Sue Dahlman	...	Older Olivia
Jason Jiang	...	Yu Yuan
Logan Lerman	...	Marcus Messner
Avy Eschenasy	...	Rabbi
Richard Topol	...	Mo Greenberg (as Rich Topol)
Danny Burstein	...	Max Messner
Walter Bernstein	...	Walter Semmelweis
Joanne Baron	...	Mrs. Greenberg
Eli Gelb	...	David
Bryan Burton	...	Ben
Susan Varon	...	Mrs. Davidovich
Linda Emond	...	Esther Messner
Betsy Hogg	...	Sophomore Girl
Philip Ettinger	...	Ron Foxman

Storyline

Set in 1951, the story follows Marcus Messner, the idealistic son of a humble kosher butcher from Newark, N.J. Marcus leaves for Ohio to study at a small, conservative college, where he finds himself at odds with the administration, grapples with anti-Semitism and sexual repression and pines after a troubled girl.

---

Plot Keywords:

sexual repression | kosher | jewish | atheist | kaddish | 

---

Taglines:

Based on the novel by Philip Roth.

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Twitter

Country:

USA China

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

11 August 2016 (Slovenia)

Also Known As:

Indignation

Filming Locations:

9-17 Clintonville St, Whitestone, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$93,125, 31 July 2016

Gross USA:

$3,401,155

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,924,527

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bing Feng Bao Entertainment, Likely Story, RT Features

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

---

Goofs

Olivia makes reference to a quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin when she says "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch." Franklin most likely never said this. This quote does not appear in any of Franklin's writings and the word "lunch" did not enter the English vernacular until the 1820s; decades after his death.

---

Quotes

Marcus Messner: I don't care what it suggests, Dean Caldwell, I will not be condemned on the basis of no evidence.

---

Connections

Featured in Film 2017: Episode #45.10 (2016)

---

Soundtracks

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in E flat Major - Allegro maestoso
Composed by Franz Liszt
Arranged by Michael Infante
Courtesy of Crucial Music Corporation and Point Classics

User Reviews

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

"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!