Beautiful Ohio

Rating NR Formats DVD Genre drama Starring William Hurt, Rita Wilson, Michelle Trachtenberg, Julianna Margulies Directed by Chad Lowe Publisher Accomplice Films

Beautiful Ohio.  What this movie should be called is Confusing Ohio.  It isn’t until about twenty minutes in to Beautiful Ohio, the first film from rookie director Chad Lowe, that we start to get a sense of what is actually going on.

The film opens in Cleveland, Ohio in 1973, focusing on a typical Midwestern American family, the Messermans.  Tension runs high in the family with the oldest son, Clive, a mathematical genius, and a top contender for the state medal.  He seems to be the typical misunderstood genius: turning to sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, and alcohol since nobody understands him, except for his small circle of friends and his girlfriend, Sandra.  Sandra (Michelle Trachtenberg) is actually secretly living in Messerman basement, and does not have any family connections.

William, Clive’s younger brother, is horribly overshadowed by his brother’s genius, and when Clive makes up a new language, William becomes obsessed with finding the dictionary to unlock it.  Throughout his search, he unknowingly becomes closer with not only his brother, but Sandra as well.  Eventually, William relaxes and Clive extends an invitation to go to the beach with him, Sandra, and a few of their friends.  After a long day, Sandra and William make love on the beach.

The tension in the family continues, as Clive continues to rebel in school and the father is suspected of having an affair with the next-door neighbor.  After multiple math competitions, Clive ties for first in the state with his rival, and the family rejoices over Clive’s win. William, feeling completely marginalized, pushes the tension even higher.  A few days later, the family discovers Clive in bed with another man.  With the tension at an all-time high, the family breaks apart.

Michelle Trachtenberg gives an interesting performance as Sandra.  In some ways, she is very believable as this lost soul seeking for a home, in other ways, she seems completely ridiculous.  Her soft, sultry, seductress feels awkward, her bad girl persona forced, and when she has the line, “I’m clairvoyant,” all you can really do is laugh at her overdone seriousness.

There were also some times when the sound editing was below par.  Anytime that William and his father played ping pong, all you could hear was the bounce of the ball.  Nice and realistic, but since you could not hear the important dialogue between the characters, it was more of a hindrance than a help.

Though, despite being a confusing film at first, Beautiful Ohio has all the overtones of what an Indie film should be: the quest for knowledge, learning more about your world, and being true to yourself.