Tully Movie Review

Tully (2018)

Rent Tully on Amazon Video
Written by: Diablo Cody
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring:  Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Ron Livingston, Mark Duplass
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Mother of three Marlo is gifted a night nanny by her brother. Hesitant at the extravagance at first, she forms a unique bond with the thoughtful, unpredictable nanny. 

Verdict
This is the other side of pregnancy and a newborn that isn't usually depicted in movies. It's a mom having a hard time coping. What this brings attention to is important, but I wanted it to say more. This never calls out postpartum depression, though that's what the movie is about.  Where most movies create an ideal utopia around a baby, this creates an ideal dystopia. Neither feel accurate. I figured out what would happen just because I've seen so many movies, that and there are a few clues. I appreciate the questions this makes you ask, but it's too subtle.
It depends.

Review
Charlize Theron's character Marlo looks tired. I'm sure she is. She's pregnant, with two kids. Her son seems to have special needs, though that's never directly addressed. She's tired of hearing how pregnancy is "such a blessing." We've seen Marlo's point of view, and I get whey she doesn't see those well wishes as sincere. She's carrying a baby while trying to run a house and it's just too much, ending up as chaos.

This has a few moments that are supposed to be awkward, but end up confusing. The counselor and Marlo talk about her son Jonah as if he doesn't have special needs. It seems clear he has at least some sensory issues. I don't know if this was to make the counselor look inept or that Marlo doesn't want to see it. While the point may be that Marlo just has so much on her, it feels like somebody should call it by name.
There's also an interaction Marlo has with an old friend that makes it seem like something happened between them in the past, but it's just weird.
This had a great scene when Marlo and family are visiting her brother. As they walk across the driveway, they actual felt like a real family, one of the only times that happened.
I also don't understand why Marlo does a double take and never realizes people are talking about the baby. Every time she double takes. Sure her mind is on other things, but what? The movie needs to let us in a little.

You can tell she's not right after the birth. She doesn't want to hold the baby and she's irritable. I knew what this movie was, so I caught the clues that it's depression. She's at the end of her rope.

Her husband does nothing to help her, he just plays video games. I found that difficult to relate to. I have a kid, granted I don't have three and we didn't go through anything as severe as Marlo did. As the husband I was up at night feeding, changing diapers, and rocking. I don't know if the husband doing nothing is typical, or a cliche the movie uses to drive its point home.

Having just watched The Omen (read my review), this felt like the start to a horror movie when a random nanny shows up and everyone assumes it's cool. It feels weird Marlo wasn't more protective or proactive, but the movie set it up that she's worn out and she'd take any help. Someone once told me that after you have the third kid you stop caring, so maybe it's that.

Marlo has a night nanny that not only helps her out, but provides adult interaction and conversation. As the nanny says she's there for the mom more than the baby. The nanny is weird, but it reaches a level of weird that makes you take a step back. I began to suspect something was happening or about to, and I was right. I will give the movie credit, I knew it was setting up something, but I wasn't sure what was going to be the outcome.

This is a bit of brain scrambler. I get what happened, but most movies explain a bit more where this doesn't. While Marlo has issues, you can't help but put a fair amount of blame on her husband. While Marlo's depression would have been hard to detect, he did nothing to help around the house.
It feels like the movie presents this idea of depression and wants the viewer to look into it further, but I'm not sure many people will. The movie never calls it out by name, skirting around it. I'm not sure why.