Avalon (1990) | agoodmovietowatch

Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans

Avalon 7.2 1990 Movie

Avalon

Dir. Barry Levinson · United States of America · English, Yiddish

A family moves to America in this bittersweet, semi-autobiographical drama

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Our take by Isabella Endrinal

For the longest time, family was everything. Traditions were maintained, opportunities were made and created for it, and the community helped each other, especially for immigrant families, who only had each other. Avalon holds plenty of the nostalgia of early 1900s America, but it’s mostly bittersweet with the way the American Dream slowly eroded the extended immigrant family, with the ever-changing times shifting each nuclear unit’s priorities, circumstances, and connection to the clan. Like seafarers seeking the titular utopic island, Avalon ponders on the way the family worked to reach for an abundance that they didn’t get to share as a whole.

What happens

A Polish-Jewish family comes to the U.S. at the beginning of the twentieth century. There, the family and their children try to make themselves a better future in the so-called promised land.

More about it

What happens

In 1914, Polish Jewish immigrant Sam Krichinsky moved to Baltimore. Later, he tells his story to his clan, whose second and third generations make different choices to assimilate into America.

What sets it apart

The plot can seem a bit unfocused, not being centered on Sam, so it doesn’t really follow the journey of one main character, but it makes sense considering the film is about the whole family, and the narrative feels exactly the same as our memory of our own families.

TL;DR

It’s a great Thanksgiving watch, but it’ll be a sad mirror of what our lives and families have become.

Awards

Oscars

4 noms

Nominated: Best CinematographyNominated: Best Costume DesignNominated: Best Original ScoreNominated: Best Original Screenplay

Berlin

1 nom

Nominated: Official Selection

Golden Globes

3 noms

Nominated: Best Motion PictureNominated: Best Original ScoreNominated: Best Screenplay

DGA

1 nom

Nominated: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures

WGA

1 win

Won: Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Screen)

Nat. Board of Review

1 win

Won: Top Ten Films

NYFCC

1 nom

Nominated: Best Supporting Actress

LAFCA

1 nom

Nominated: Best Music

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About the author

Isabella Endrinal

Isabella Endrinal

Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.