Film
Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal), a successful investment banker, has what seems to be the idyllic life, a lovely wife Julia (Heather Lind), a great job working for Julia’s father (Chris Cooper), and a nice home. But tragedy strikes and Julia dies.
Now after writing some letters to a customer services department, he Karen (Naomi Watts), and together with her son Chris (Judah Lewis), Davis tries to rebuild, starting with the Demolition of the life he knows.
Demolition is packed with emotion, as we accompany Davis on his journey of self discovery and reflection. There are both aspects of joy and pain, akin to a door in his life that has closed for good, but opening another, which he has only to step through and embrace what awaits. Can Davis escape the shackles of his inner self, and allow the positive in?
With an ensemble cast of great talent, coupled with excellent writing, direction and editing, one can not help but empathise with Davis, putting oneself in his position, and trying to understand the reactions of those who have to deal with him, or who’s lives are affected by what now becomes a mix of introverted and extravagant behaviour, with just the right amount of sly humour.
Demolition is a story with a mix of love, for those lost and those now found, and it is a story of self, loving one’s self and discovering a place in a world that is sometimes not too easy to understand. The film is sure to leave viewers pondering as the credits roll, and although the story has not major twists and turns, it is surely one that is not predictable either.
An engrossing film, with top notch talent.
Disc
Demolition is available now, to purchase on disc, in South Africa.
Over all, the technical quality of the disc is good, but you just get a movie, and no extras.
Video
Video is encoded at a high bitrate, with no visible artefacts on screen. Colours show no sign of bleed. Blacks are deep, with good detail in darker scenes.
Viewers with the relevant hardware or software can scale the image up to a larger or higher resolution screen, should they choose.
Audio
Audio is presented in a choice of 5.1 surround or 2.0 downmix, and is encoded at high bitrate. Dialogue is clear, with good use of the surrounds to envelope the viewer and make them feel more a part of the story.
Navigation
Navigation is basic, with static menus. These are clear and easy to navigate.
Bonus Features
There are unfortunately no bonus features, other than trailers for The Keeping Room, Sing Street, and Desierto.
