Brilliant little movie that is sad and funny and seems almost improvised. A collage of the last year in the life of the "matriarch" of a family. Jesse Plemons plays David, a son who is having the worse year of his life. His dreams of being a comedy writer are not coming true, he's broken up with his boyfriend of five years, his father won't acknowledge he's gay even after ten years, and his mother is dying, Sounds pretty dreary, huh?

And it is so sad to watch Molly Shannon as the mother as she slowly dies and deals with the ravages of chemotherapy and the depression that life is going on on on without out her.

And yet this little gem is out-standing. There are so many little moments that say so much about life, growing, family, acceptance, reaching out, discovery, and more. One scene after another that tells the story *of* life. From beautiful to silly to painful to triumphant.

The short short scene where David tries to order three medium chocolate shakes without whipped cream—and then you have to be paying attention to see him sit down with his parents with three shakes—with whipped cream. This movie really is something I will have to watch again. The final shot is what gave me hope—that life, no matter what, does go on, and maybe, just maybe, it will be okay.

A comedy writer returns from NYC to his childhood home in Sacramento for an indefinite period, at a time when his Mom is undergoing treatment for cancer and when he has just ended a five-year relationship. Presented in episodic, "slice-of-life" scenes titled with every month in what is unavoidably a really terrible year for this guy, the story is economically told yet beautifully cohesive.

You might think a story dealing with a parent's serious illness and impending death would necessarily flirt with sentimentality, but writer-director Chris Kelly (whose own experiences are the obvious source material) is so truthful and self-aware that he almost completely manages to avoid every pitfall. Instead, we get an honest picture of the struggle to find or 'feel' meaning in this year spent, with somewhat mixed feelings, in the bosom of a fairly loving but realistic family--living in his childhood bedroom, sleeping in his old twin bed, and struggling with writer's block at his childhood mahogany desk (his greatest heart's desire as a 2nd-grader).

As Kelly's unlikely stand-in, David, Jesse Plemons gives a fantastically honest & fearless performance. (As with Season 2 of the FX series "Fargo," I kept thinking, "Who is this guy?? How does he have the guts to be so exposed?") Plemons does addled, understated angst like nobody else. As his ex, Zach Woods (only familiar to me from "Silicon Valley" and "The Office") is a revelation of sweetness and adorability. (I sort of hope they get back together...)

Many people will find Molly Shannon's performance as the Mom with cancer extremely powerful and brave. Yes, she was very good... skirting the threat of sentimentality and managing to avoid it in almost every scene. The Dad's and sisters' roles are not as prominent, which is probably part of the point. But I wouldn't have minded seeing them beefed up a bit. The conflict between David and his Dad over his sexual orientation might have better served as fodder for another story and another movie. Its presence in this movie sometimes seemed a bit off-topic, needlessly shifting the focus.

In a sort-of-gratuitous but very enjoyable role, J.J. Totah appears as a campy tween drag queen, the adopted younger brother of an old high school friend. At the Busan film festival screening full of Koreans that I attended, he was a clear audience favorite.

Sacramento is depicted as a provincial no-man's land, and the scene in a local gay bar was definitely non-PC. It might bother some viewers, but illustrates the writer-director's commitment to total honesty, even at the cost of losing a little respect from adherents of social justice.

Does David ever find the meaning and connection he is hoping for? I recommend that you see the film and decide for yourself.

8.5 -- possibly 9

If this were a bigger movie, Molly Shannon might soon be getting a few Big League nominations. She might anyway. Who expected Sally O'Malley to inhabit a fully formed married Sacramento mom of three older children, dying of cancer? Miss Shannon is funny and painful and riveting to watch as she shows us her love and rage and pride in her kids and worry about their future, and frustration with her failing body and nice clueless husband, and her wish to just sometimes give up and die already. It takes a deeply skilled actor to hide nothing, be still, and let the camera have it's way with you. Who knew? She gets a lot of help from Jesse Plemons as her struggling gay son David who is hurting from his own heavy baggage. Mr. Plemons' face is our guide to this family, not acting, just letting us tag along and marvel at his devotion to his sick Mom.

A terrific young group of fun talented stars of tomorrow fill in the family and church and choir and other Sacramentoes and the likes of Paul Dooley, June Squibb, Bradley Whitford and an Apatow kid make Director Chris Kelly's already superb script better.

Funny laugh out loud bits and great private one-on-ones that don't feel rushed. No sitcom feel or fake intimacy in Other People. These people matter to one another.

Other People brought back for me those intimate moments in Carmela Soprano's kitchen when another complicated family was trying to have closeness and understanding at the dinner table. Aren't we all?