Squid And The Whale, The (2005, U.S.A.)

The Squid and the Whale is based on the true childhood experiences of director Noah Baumbach.  It tells the story of the patriarch (Jeff Daniels) of an eccentric Brooklyn family.  He had once been a great novelist, but has settled into a teaching job.  However his wife (Laura Linney) discovers a writing talent of her own.  As a result, jealousy divides the family, leaving two teenage sons to forge new relationships with their parents. Linney’s character begins dating her younger son’s tennis coach (William Baldwin). Meanwhile, Daniels’ character has an affair with the student (Anna Paquin) his older son is pursuing.