Labor Day

For many of us, Labour Day weekend evokes bittersweet memories of first loves, family vacations, and a final gasp of freedom before the new school year. For thirteen-year-old Henry and his reclusive, divorced mother, Adele, it offers a chance for the happiness that they have long lived without.

With the first day of school approaching, Adele (the formidable Kate Winslet) and Henry (newcomer Gattlin Griffith) have ventured on a rare outing together to buy him some new clothes, when the boy is approached by Frank (the brooding Josh Brolin) — whose bloodied forehead and clear sense of desperation signal the need for help. Setting aside their suspicions, Henry and his mother reluctantly bring the stranger home, only to discover they got more than they bargained for. It's not long before they find themselves hostages of an escaped felon, and convicted murderer. And yet there's something comforting about Frank. What begins as a kidnapping slowly evolves into something else.

Festival audiences first fell in love with Jason Reitman as a feature director when he premiered his debut, Thank You For Smoking, here in 2005. With each subsequent film, his characterizations have grown richer and more sincere. Labor Day completes this metamorphosis, offering one of the most elegantly observed dramas of the year.

Bringing Joyce Maynard's novel to the screen with refined confidence, Reitman impressively balances the story's dramatic and romantic tension. With nuanced performances from an all-star cast (also including Tobey Maguire and James Van Der Beek), and precise editing, the individual experiences of the film's three central characters are seamlessly woven together over these final days of summer, as each attempts to escape their own personal prison.

MICHÈLE MAHEUX