A Lula e a Baleia (2005)★ 7.5/10

Though set in the 1980s, the story reflects family crises that feel strikingly familiar even today. Baumbach’s portrait of dysfunction is so grounded in truth that it transcends its era and remains painfully relevant.

Writer-director Noah Baumbach infuses this semi-autobiographical story with raw honesty, following Jesse Eisenberg’s Walt through his misguided idolization of his father and his emotional turmoil after his parents’ divorce. Shot in a style reminiscent of the French New Wave, the film unpacks intellectual pretension, fractured relationships, and the psychological toll of divorce with unflinching precision.