Ordinary People

The accidental death of the older son of an affluent family deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother, the good-natured father, and the guilt-ridden younger son.

• Director:Robert Redford
• Genre:Drama
• Runtime:121 minutes

Cast

Donald Sutherland: Calvin Jarrett
Mary Tyler Moore: Beth Jarrett
Judd Hirsch : Dr. Tyrone C. Berger
Timothy Hutton : Conrad Jarrett
M. Emmet Walsh : Coach Salan

The Jarretts, an affluent family, try to return to normal life after the attempted suicide of their surviving teenage son, Conrad, who has recently come home following a four-month stay in a psychiatric hospital. Alienated from his friends and family, Conrad, having left the hospital, chooses to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger, who learns that the boy had been involved in a sailing accident in which his older brother, Buck, died. Buck, more outgoing and athletic than Conrad, came first in everyone’s estimation (including Conrad’s). Conrad’s father, Calvin, awkwardly struggles to connect with his surviving son, who is tormented by depression, guilt, and the lingering trauma of the accident. His mother, Beth, who appears to have loved her elder son more, has now grown cold toward Conrad, fixated with maintaining the appearance of perfection and normality. In one telling scene, she overhears her husband telling a friend at a party that their son has been seeing a psychiatrist. Then, on their way home in the car, she berates him angrily for revealing something she thinks should be private.

As Conrad works through his minefield of emotions with Dr. Berger and learns to try and control his emotions less, he starts dating Jeannine, a kind and nonjudgmental girl from his school choir. Conrad begins to regain a sense of optimism. However, the suicide of Karen, a friend from the hospital, threatens to send him spiraling back into depression.

Eventually, Conrad is able to stop blaming himself for Buck’s death, and realizes his mother’s frailties as Dr. Berger advises him to accept her as she is. Calvin, aided by a session with Dr. Berger himself, finally begins to recognize the degree to which Beth has emotionally isolated herself, not just from Conrad, but also from Calvin himself. Calvin confronts Beth about his new feelings, telling her that he questions his love for her, and inquires whether she is capable of truly loving anyone. As Beth packs to leave, her facade is momentarily shattered by a sob, but she struggles to restore the mask. Read more