The oppressive heat and claustrophobic homestead in August: Osage County set the scene for an unflinching examination of the damage caused by family dysfunction, as well as the energy, insight, and determination required to escape it into a relatively functional personal world. Based on playwright Tracy Letts’s personal experience, the film is adapted from his 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, while John Wells directs.
In Osage County Oklahoma, the Weston clan gathers for the funeral of its patriarch, Beverly (Sam Shepard). It is immediately obvious why this family has not been together for many years. The many shadowy issues lurking just below the surface of the awkward interactions almost immediately begin to burst forth.
Framed mostly by the conflictual relationship between Beverly’s widow Violet (Meryl Streep) and her oldest daughter Barbara (Julia Roberts), “August: Osage County” deftly treats themes of transgenerational trauma and self-loathing, the deleterious effects of family secrets, how addiction cripples a personality, and how shame and shaming poison the human spirit. While not for the faint-hearted, this film rewards the viewer with greater understanding of the inner struggles often carried by our fellow humans.
