The Mike Mills film ‘Thumbsucker’ only lasted a short time in cinemas in Sydney. This was a shame because it was a very likeable film.

The main characters’ journey was unusual and engaging. The arc was enormous, Justin starts off as a troubled teenager from a dysfunctional middle class family who is determined to be rid of his infantile habit of thumbsucking, to become a confident young man who leaves his home town to try and make a career for himself in the Big Apple.

Leigh Taylor Pucci , a name I have not heard of before, gave a strong performance in the leading role. He convincingly plays a character who is very wilful and determined, and who quite deliberately does not take the straight and narrow path. Justin goes through many changes.
The main change is brought on when, whilst at school, he sees a Doctor who diagnoses him with a Attention Deficit Disorder and he is prescibed Ritalen. The Ritalen takes away a lot of his mental fog, and he has a new sharpness and clarity. From a bum debater he becomes a champion debater….from socially inept he becomes confident, even domineering. Yet, even with all the success as a result of taking Ritalin, he chooses to ditch the drug because it is only a crutch.

Tilda Swinton, a British actress who is always getting film work, gives a genuinely effecting performance as Justin’s mother, Audrey. Swinton’s portrays Audrey as a complex modern feminist woman. Her deep, nuturing love for her son comes across, however she also loves her job as a rehab nurse. Swinton is good at playing compassionate, independent women, and she shines here.