The Savages 2007

In sunny Arizona, elderly Lenny gets frustrated with his girlfriend’s home health aide and expresses his feelings by writing on his bathroom wall in a rather shocking manner. Meanwhile, his daughter Wendy is trying to make a name for herself as a playwright in New York City, working as a temporary employee. When her married boyfriend Larry pays her a visit, she fabricates a story about an abnormal pap smear to explain her emotional state.

Upon learning about their father’s increasingly distressed behavior, Wendy reaches out to her brother Jon in Buffalo. Despite her distress, Jon, who works as a drama professor, is hesitant to become involved. Their father’s situation escalates when his girlfriend unexpectedly dies during a manicure session, prompting Wendy and Jon to unite in Arizona. They are taken aback to discover that Lenny has been hospitalized on the recommendation of his girlfriend’s children, who seek to remove him from her home under a legal agreement.

During their visit, Lenny berates them for taking two days to see him. A doctor informs them that he exhibits signs of dementia, likely related to Parkinson’s Disease. Faced with the decision of how to care for their father, the siblings venture to a nightclub to deliberate. Wendy is torn between the decision to seek a nursing home and her concerns about their father’s well-being.

Later that night, Wendy overhears Jon on the phone with his girlfriend Kasia, emotionally venting about their breakup. Jon departs the next morning, while Wendy goes to collect Lenny’s belongings from the already-sold house. Emotional turmoil follows as Wendy discovers that Jon has secured a nursing home for their father.

When Wendy brings Lenny home from the hospital and attempts to help him board a plane, a humorous yet embarrassing incident occurs as his pants fall down in front of other passengers. Jon meets them at the Buffalo airport and transports Lenny to the nursing home, a facility that resembles a hospital rather than a welcoming environment. After leaving Lenny in his new room, Wendy feels a deep sorrow when she realizes he no longer recognizes his surroundings, expressing her guilt to Jon.

In an attempt to comfort her, Jon takes Wendy to his home, filled with piles of academic research, and reassures her they are ensuring better care for their father than he ever provided for them. As the siblings handle Lenny’s nursing home essentials and face the reality of his health, they discuss Lenny’s end-of-life wishes, leading to a poignant moment where he commands them to “pull the plug” if necessary.

As the family gathers for the holidays, Wendy grapples with personal dilemmas, including her relationship with Larry and the struggles of her career. The siblings participate in workshops on eldercare, take Lenny to watch classic films he requests, and seek out better living conditions for him. However, feelings of frustration arise when Jon confronts Wendy about her denial regarding their father’s declining state.

Through a series of ups and downs during their visits to the nursing home, Wendy finds a sense of solace in a male nurse named Jimmy, albeit briefly. As tension escalates between the siblings, Wendy’s personal revelations and Jon’s struggles culminate in a heartbreaking situation when they discover that Lenny’s health has taken a turn for the worse.

After spending the night with him at the home, Wendy wakes to the profound realization of her father’s passing. Both siblings share in their grief as they gather his belongings and reflect on their changed lives. Back in New York, Wendy receives a poignant visit from Larry, who conveys his own life’s difficulties, leading to an emotional embrace.

Six months later, Wendy finds herself back in the theater, staging a play that revisits her childhood trauma involving Lenny. Amidst tears, Jon encourages her art, while resolving to reconnect with Kasia’s family in Poland. Finally, as Wendy jogs through the city, the presence of Larry’s dog, now aided by a wheeled device, symbolizes both the love lost and the resilience of life moving forward.