Rupture and repair in relationships

Husband is a partly auto-fictional and auto-factual film created by a husband and wife team. It follows them through a two-week work trip from England to New York City to promote Devorah's new book, Feelings. We see a busy working mum and her husband's overbearing and annoying attempts to support her career, while persistently recording the intimate details of their life for his own career journey.

The film sets the scene with Josh losing his passport, resulting in a frustrated and sleep-deprived Devorah juggling their two young children with the help of her niece on a long-haul flight to the United States. An anxiety-fueled journey through New York is filmed using Josh's personal equipment, making the film feel relatable and capturing the nuances of emotions in our facial expressions, conversations and body language.

After writing an insightful book on feelings like guilt, Devorah and Josh share their emotional turmoil. The film touches on concepts such as wounded healers and the difficulties that remain within a psychologically-minded academic's relationship, normalising relational challenges and daily struggles with mental health and self-esteem. The film also takes you on a trip through New York City's culture – interesting to see without the Hollywood lens. We get a subtle look at the political views of the family and the context of the world in which they live.

Focusing on relationships, the film normalises difficulties for a modern white, middle-class and educated couple with young children. It highlights the importance of ruptures and repairs, and the value of humour and open communication. From awkward silences during dinner to arguments along the New York sidewalk, Josh exposes the ins and outs of their relationship. It's interesting for both psychologists and the wider population to compare with how relationships are portrayed in mainstream media.

The film is perhaps also relevant to aspiring psychologists asking themselves whether having children will impact their career. Perhaps many readers will relate to the struggles of juggling a family and a less-than-equal partnership…

- Reviewed by Kyah Sisulu, Trainee Clinical Psychologist. Twitter: @KyahAQSisulu

Watch the trailer; film available on Curzon Home Cinema.