Director Jane Weinstock delivers an engaging character study for her third effort, "Three Birthdays." Weinstock also co-writes the film's screenplay with Nevin Schreiner.
Taking place in the early 1970s, "Three Birthdays" focuses on Rob (Josh Radnor) and Kate (Annie Parisse), an idealistic academic couple, and their 17-year-old daughter Bobbie (Nuala Cleary) as they wrestle with revolutionary ideas around sex, race, and class.
As the title suggests, the film centers its narrative on the birthdays of our three leads over the year. The first part centers on Bobbie, who is ready to lose her virginity to her boyfriend, Adam (Uly Schlesing ). However, her journey to womanhood is tainted when she discovers that her mother is having an affair.
The second story centers on Rob, who is well aware of his wife's infidelity and has had his indiscretions. However, Rob is more concerned that his daughter's view of her mother is now tainted. The film's final portion centers on Kate as she reaches a crossroads in her marriage and attempts to repair her relationship with her daughter.
The cast's performances will make or break a film like Three Birthdays. While Josh Randor may have broken through in the classic television series "How I Met Your Mother," I've always felt he's a character actor. Radnor brings a subdued and retable nuance to Rob. While he has flaws, it's clear that Rob wants his marriage to work and is willing to work things out.
Annie Parisse won me over with her performance in "The Following" almost a decade ago, and she's just as good here. The film doesn't turn her into a cougar or someone unsatisfied with the marriage. Instead, she has a narrative juxtaposition with the sexual revolution. One of the best scenes in the film involves Randor and Parisse's characters rediscovering true intimacy, and the scenes are handled tactfully, avoiding graphic nudity.
Nuala Cleary is also suitable as Bobbie. Through her deep exploration of self-identity and family accountability, she exposes the delicate bonds that unite her family. The movie beautifully captures Bobbie's intense quest for independence while showcasing her teenage years' emotional turmoil and her parents' challenges.
When the credits rolled, I took from "Three Birthdays" that as you get older in marriage, you have to work at it so that sex doesn't become jumbled or routine. Intimacy is the true end goal. I would welcome another film by the director in which she explores these topics with another couple in the eighties.
Final Grade: B+
"Three Birthdays." is available on Digital Platforms & VOD on February 18th.