Set over the Labor Day weekend of 1987, director Jason Reitman delivers something very different to his usual, lighthearted and comedic fare (Juno, Up in the Air) with his latest drama Labor Day. Based on a book of the same name by Joyce Raynard, which was apparently inspired by Raynard’s own pen-pal relationship with a convicted murderer, Reitman claims it is very faithful to the original text. The only real flaw I found was the pacing, which may be a carryover from the novel. The very nature of the mediums means films are much more unforgiving with pacing than novels.

Frank Chambers (Josh Brolin) is a gentle giant who cooks, cleans, bakes, fixes up anything needing fixing, and even teaches young Henry Wheeler (Gattlin Griffith) how to play baseball. He’s also an escaped convict holding Henry and his mother Adele (Kate Winslet) hostage until he can make a break for Canada. Then Stockholm Syndrome apparently sets in.

Brolin is very good as the rumbly tough guy with a heart of gold, by turns threatening and cheerful, and the flashbacks of the truth behind his crimes develop the character quite well. Griffith surprises as the kid just entering puberty, and his awkward attempts at flirting will prove to be all too familiar to most. The only real problem is the massively compressed time frame (the whole film takes place over 5 days) which may, for some, seem unbelievable. More could also have been done to strike a balance between Henry’s awkward teen moments and the developing relationship between Frank and Adele. Is it just a form of Stockholm syndrome, or are there genuine feelings between the two? The ending is too tacky to really satisfy that question.

Good, and an interesting departure for Reitman. Labor Day created festival buzz as a favourite at TIFF13. It will be interesting to see if he continues with more serious fare.

Donal O’Connor