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

6 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.

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Plot Keywords:

sexual repression | kosher | jewish | atheist | kaddish | 

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Taglines:

Based on the novel by Philip Roth.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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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:

Indignación

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$93,125, 29 July 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,399,841, 30 October 2016

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

Directorial debut of James Schamus.

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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.

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Quotes

Marcus Messner: It is important to understand about dying, that even though in general you do not have a personal choice in the matter, it is going to happen to you when it happens to you. There are reasons you die. There are causes, a chain of events linked by causality, and those events include decisions that you have personally made. How did you end up here, on this exact day, at this exact time, with this specific event happening to you?

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Connections

Referenced in Film '72: Episode #45.10 (2016)

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Soundtracks

Symphony No. 4 in F minor Op. 36 - Finale: Allegro con fuoco
Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Arranged by Jim Long
Courtesy of Crucial Music Corporation and Point Classics

User Reviews

Roth, intelligent storytelling and an amazing character actor

I was on the road researching a book on Texas barbecue when I read Philip Roth's novel, Indignation. I had managed to shelve it away in my brain until I saw a movie of the same title playing at a second-run movie house near me. Could it be? Yes, it was the same story. Better than it, the sleek yet powerful prose made its way onto the screen with its integrity intact. And you know what? A crowd of about 30 of us sat rapt for 110 minutes. Nobody talked until the credits rolled, but everybody laughed at the appropriate moments and there were even a few well-placed gasps of surprise. A good story, an intelligent script and a fine cast will work that magic. Give yourself an evening to find out.

The cast is so perfect that I have to single out one performer as an example of the great work provided by all. Danny Burstein plays a father so proud of his own son and so worried by his son's future in an uncertain world marked by war that he seems to be descending into madness. The actor is harrowing to watch because you can feel all the love that burns inside of him and that he just can't bring himself to express properly. Maybe it would not be manly or maybe he doesn't know the right words or maybe he just doesn't think he needs to say anything directly. Yet we can feel his every fear, his mixture of hope and despair, his pride, his love, his frustration. Wow.