Staff Pick: What Richard Did
In praise of the tense high school drama from the director of ‘Room’
When I think of my favorite directors, Lenny Abrahamson is definitely in my top few, but I became a fan of his in reverse. The first Abrahamson film I saw was actually his most recent, Room. After seeing it, I then saw it three more times that week. When I decided five times in a week would be too much for one movie, I decided to check out Frank. I was just as impressed with that film and also with how diverse it was next to Room, that I moved down the list to watch What Richard Did.
What Richard Did may be one of my favorite Abrahamson films because of how real the characters feel. The story centers around Richard. He’s the small town’s rugby hero, always makes his parents proud, and every girl loves him. Things fall apart one night when there’s a drunken fight over a girl, and a classmate ends up dead. After that Richard’s persona deteriorates. What’s amazing about this film is that the death does not occur until the middle of the film, so as a viewer you watch Richard leading a normal life in a mundane town. This feels like you’re watching real people, even possibly from your own town and for some reason even at the slow pace, Abrahamson is still able to pull you in.
The intriguing part about the film does not come from the murder, it stems from the way the town reacts. The true crime in the film comes from how Richard’s family and town look to protect their golden boy from facing consequences. When Richard confesses to his father after not being able to handle the guilt, his father sends him away so things can calm down and so Richard can stay away from trouble. I did not expect the dad to turn Richard in, but I would have thought he could have helped Richard a little more since they seemed so close before the incident. Instead, once Richard let him down, his dad wanted nothing to do with him.
Abrahamson was able to capture Richard unravel in such a beautiful way. The viewer watches Richard go from the privileged boy that everyone in town looks up to, into someone that has never gotten what he wanted. When Richard goes through his breakdown, it does not feel like this exaggerated movie reaction, it feels like a real person at a loss of what to do.
What Richard Did, like all Abrahamson movies is one not to be missed. His movies will leave you thinking in the days and weeks to come. The last time I last saw What Richard Did two weeks ago and I’m still thinking about the ending today.
