What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?’, an Oscar contender from 1993, is a thought–provoking and unexpectedly moving drama about one young man’s life in a small American town. A young Johnny Depp plays the title character. His performance is very natural, and from the start we are rooting for Gilbert. I think everyone can empathise with him- he is bored, drifting, and stifled by his family and town. However, the film wouldn’t be complete without Leonardo DiCaprio as Gilbert’s disabled brother, Arnie. The two characters’ relationship is moving, and you can see both the affection and frustration they feel towards each other. The plot of ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’ is barely there; the Grapes are planning Arnie’s birthday party, but the story wanders off in several different directions. But I think that the point of the film isn’t so much story as character. It’s interesting to see the relationships develop and strain throughout the film. The atmosphere of the film is also very well done. You definitely feel trapped in the small town with Gilbert, with the same things happening every day. And the ending of the film nearly made me cry, which I hadn’t been expecting. Overall, ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’ is a slow but rewarding film. It might not be for everyone, as there is little action or excitement, but it is a very interesting portrait of an unusual, but still familiar to everyone, small town family’s life.