Smashed

Writer and director James Ponsoldt delivered a powerful film with his second feature. A couple's marriage disintegrates when the wife decides to go sober and face the problems in her life. Ponsoldt and co-writer Susan Burke address the issue of alcohol addiction with an unflinching eye which makes for a powerful film. The issue of alcoholism has been addressed in cinema many times before but this film gives it a contemporary urgency of an often ignored topic. Mary Elizabeth Winstead delivers a riveting performance in the lead along with an equally terrific Aaron Paul. The solid supporting cast includes Octavia Spencer, Megan Mullally and Mary Kay Place. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.