Infinitely Polar Bear (2014)
Infinitely Polar Bear presents a tumultuously authentic, autobiographical look into the life of the director, Maya Forbes, and her experience as the child of a bipolar patient.
Mark Ruffalo plays a hilariously unhinged, but distinctly troubled man, Cam, with efficacy and bombasticism. Like many unmedicated bipolar people, he is prone to flights of fancy, massive outbursts, and general psychosocial instability. Zoe Saldaña, as Cam’s wife Maggie, strikes an incredibly complex balance between deep care for her husband and a desire for reform on his part. Cam’s condition deteriorates and, after a severe episode, he is taken into inpatient treatment.
Later, after Cam is released but not yet home, his older daughter, played by Imogene Wolodarsky, sneaks over to his halfway house to gently interrogate him. She demands to know what his long-term plans are, suggesting that if he were to quit drinking and start taking his lithium, he may be allowed to come home. Both Wolodarsky and Ashley Aufderheide, as the younger sister, excel in the range of their reactions to their father’s condition. Their characters’ developing understanding of Cam’s situation is implied by the younger daughter saying he is “polar bear” as a description of his condition.
A solution emerges both for Cam’s long-term plans and for reuniting his family: Maggie needs to temporarily leave for her studies. She asks for Cam to step up and take care of the girls; it is treated as a de facto trial run for Cam to reintegrate into family life. The results are not sanitized, with Cam exhibiting classic characteristics of his disorder, such as an inability to regulate intense emotion, trouble with organization and follow through, and engaging in behaviors with substantial negative consequences attached.
The depiction of bipolar disorder was not only accurate, but compassionate, and offered humor that is rooted in truth. It’s okay to laugh at the ridiculous situations Cam’s condition creates; but there is still a requirement to address what is causing those ridiculous situations. Cam comes to terms with this when he comes home, after another reckless encounter, and finally takes his lithium.
The material being autobiographical is a great strength in many ways but a liability in others. The progression of the story sometimes seems unclear with some big moments feeling undersold, but such moments remain exceptions. The ending was decidedly abrupt, which fits with the authentic storytelling on display but did feel a bit jarring after following our character’s emotional journeys.
Committed to honesty and compassion, Infinitely Polar Bear is an insightful look into those who live with bipolar disorder; not just the patients, but their profoundly affected families.