4 stars out of 5
I was looking forward to the Sean Penn movie Flag Day, and it was certainly promoted, and yet, now three weekends in, it’s not really playing anywhere! (OK, OK, it’s playing in Manhattan, which is very close to me, but, I save the city for special occasions.) And then a headline infuriated me: “Sean Penn’s Flag Day Fails To Fly As Older Arthouse Crowd Shuns Cinema.” Hey, I’m the Older Arthouse Crowd and I haven’t shunned a goddamn thing! Did they consider that my local “arthouse” in Montclair closed, eventually changed hands, but still hasn’t reopened? Or that the same happened with the arthouse in Asbury Park, where I would schedule in a movie whenever I’d drive down for a concert? And, come on, this isn’t some obscure indie flick. But the surviving multiplexes would rather fill up multiscreens with limp would-be summer blockbusters than something with a little more thought behind it.
So I took a long drive — I’m not going to get into details, but it involved a bridge and downloading yet another parking app — to a theater that was showing Flag Day. I’m very glad I did.
Penn directed the film, based on a true story, and co-stars with his daughter Dylan. I imagine her being Oscar-nominated and not winning. The movie is a bit of a family saga — a tragedy, really — so there are three actresses playing Jennifer Vogel over the span of time. Three actors also play brother Nick, including real-life bro Hopper Jack Penn.
Now, as Penn showed us as the world-wise dad in The First series, even decorated astronauts can have a hard time holding a family together. So if you’re a total fuck-up like Penn’s John Vogel, you can just imagine how difficult it would be. Which is not to say John doesn’t have good qualities. He loves his kids. Pretty good at drawing. A dreamer who likes to roam and have fun. But because of John’s not-so-good traits — including but not limited to thievery, rage, and compulsive lying — Jennifer and Nick bounce between dad and mom. She’s no great shakes neither, what with the alcoholism and dangerously lousy taste in men.
Overall, it’s Jennifer’s story. As a kid, she roots for her dad, overlooking the flaws, and it’s heartbreaking watching her try to keep disillusionment at bay. As Jennifer ages (and is portrayed subtly and realistically by Dylan Penn), she indulges her own vices, and wonders how much of her parents her psyche is saddled with. Is she genetically doomed to fail or can she reinvent herself? And at what point do you — or can you — draw a boundary with a beloved parent who has let you down over and over again?
Heavy stuff, beautifully and delicately directed by Penn. He’s helped by a very strong soundtrack which includes Eddie Vedder, Cat Power, and a song by Glen Hansard (of Once semi-fame) that just perfectly matches and enhances the action on-screen.
This Labor Day weekend, consider tracking down Flag Day. Or maybe it’ll be streaming by Yom Kippur.
Jack Silbert, curator