Three Birthdays is a complex, family drama from director-screenwriter Jane Weinstock. Weinstock’s drama takes place in 1970 during a turbulent time in American history. 1970 was a period when the Vietnam War divided our country, and the sexual revolution challenged the marriage status quo. Bobbie (Nuala Cleary) is celebrating her seventeenth birthday, and she is excited to lose her virginity to her boyfriend, Adam (Uly Schlesinger). On her birthday, she discovers her mother, Kate (Annie Parisse), is having an affair at the same motel where she and her boyfriend made love. Bobbie is upset and tells her father, Rob (Josh Radnor). This is a frustrating issue as both her parents are academics at a liberal college and embrace the “free love” mentality.
During the same stressful time, Rob is disappointed in not receiving tenure because his colleague, a member of the Black Panther group, is chosen for the position. He is also having an affair with grad student Nina (Jasmine Batchelor), which is near its end. Kate must decide whether to end her affair with Bobbie’s former babysitter, Christopher (Guy Burnet). Bobbie is caught in a tough place as she desires independence from her parents. Simultaneously, she does not want her family split apart over her mother’s affair. As tension brews within the family, things heat up on college campuses, becoming hotbeds for violence.
“Bobbie is celebrating her seventeenth birthday…she discovers her mother, Kate, is having an affair…”
Jane Weinstock excels at directing her cast. Josh Radnor, Annie Parisse, and Nuala Cleary each make their characters relatable and nuanced. Nuala Cleary provides depth in her performance as Bobbie and is subtle in conveying big emotions. The performances work due to Weinstock and Nevin Schreiner’s screenplay.
Weinstock and Schreiner go against the grain by questioning liberal ideas introduced in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is fascinating to see how polyamory, second-wave feminism, activist mentality, and other topical issues affect a family. Tonally, this film is reminiscent of Mike Nichols’ The Graduate and Noah Baumbach’s White Noise. Three Birthdays is an excellent drama due to its three-dimensional characters and thought-provoking ideas.
For more information, visit the Three Birthdays official website.
"…an excellent drama due to its three-dimensional characters and thought-provoking ideas."
