Imaginary Heroes

A suburban family goes into a dysfunctional freefall when a suicide creates a vacuum that its remaining members can barely begin to fill. Sigourney Weaver is impeccable as a distraught mother who resorts to pot to barricade her emotions in writer/director Dan Harris’ diamond-sharp treatise on American family dysfunction that makes “The Ice Storm” look like a walk in the park. Emile Hirsch gives a beautifully nuanced performance as an alienated teen son who must reconcile difficult familial issues beyond the death of his cruel brother.
Rated R. 112 mins. (B) (Three Stars)