Ordinary People (1980)

Introduction

Ordinary People is one of the most quietly devastating films ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Marking the directorial debut of Robert Redford, this 1980 psychological family drama is as emotionally complex and delicately performed as it is reserved and understated in its visual style. Adapted from Judith Guest’s 1976 novel, the film peels back the veneer of suburban upper-middle-class perfection to examine the devastating impact of trauma, repression, and grief on a seemingly “ordinary” family.

At the time of its release, Ordinary People was praised for its psychological realism and emotional depth, and over the decades, it has come to be regarded as a landmark of American cinema—an influential work in the depiction of mental health, masculinity, and family dynamics. It is a quiet but seismic film, defined not by big moments but by its precise dissection of human behaviour.

Plot Summary

Set in an affluent Chicago suburb, Ordinary People centres around the Jarrett family, still reeling from the accidental death of their eldest son, Buck. The surviving son, Conrad (Timothy Hutton), is a high school student who has recently returned home after a stay in a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt. His father, Calvin (Donald Sutherland), is a kind, emotionally open man who struggles to hold his family together. His mother, Beth (Mary Tyler Moore), is a meticulously composed woman whose need for control and aversion to emotion conceal a deep inability to grieve or connect.

The story follows Conrad as he attempts to resume a normal life, grappling with survivor’s guilt, post-traumatic stress, and alienation. He begins therapy with the compassionate and no-nonsense Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch), whose sessions become a conduit for Conrad’s emotional reckoning. As tensions mount, the fragile façade of the Jarrett family begins to crumble, leading to an emotional climax that redefines the bonds between parent and child, husband and wife.

Themes and Subtext

Repression vs. Expression

At the heart of Ordinary People is the contrast between emotional repression and expression. Beth represents the polished exterior of grief—smiling through pain, managing appearances. Calvin and Conrad, in contrast, strive to acknowledge and understand their emotions. The film doesn’t villainize Beth, but it does show how emotionally inexpressive environments can isolate and damage.

The Myth of the Perfect Family

The Jarretts are emblematic of a classic American ideal: well-off, polite, and seemingly functional. But behind their suburban home lies emotional devastation. The film subtly critiques the cultural emphasis on appearance and status, revealing how these ideals can suppress real communication and healing.

Survivors’ Guilt and Mental Health

Conrad’s internal battle is portrayed with remarkable sensitivity. He feels he should have died instead of Buck and is overwhelmed by the weight of grief and guilt. The film’s nuanced depiction of mental health, suicide, and therapy was ground-breaking in 1980 and remains relevant today.

Parent-Child Relationships

The dynamic between Conrad and each parent is starkly different. With Calvin, there is an awkward but growing intimacy; with Beth, there’s coldness and avoidance. The film masterfully explores the question of conditional vs. unconditional love, especially in the way Beth cannot fully accept the flawed, suffering son who returned from the hospital.

Performances

Timothy Hutton as Conrad Jarrett

Hutton’s performance is nothing short of astonishing. At just 20, he became the youngest actor ever to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He gives Conrad layers of pain, confusion, sensitivity, and intelligence. His therapy scenes with Judd Hirsch are quietly explosive and among the most honest depictions of adolescent mental health in American cinema.

Mary Tyler Moore as Beth Jarrett

In a career-defining and career-redefining role, Moore sheds her sitcom persona to portray a woman incapable of emotional vulnerability. Her performance is icy, brittle, and deeply controlled. She doesn’t play Beth as a monster but as a woman whose identity is so tied to perfection that she cannot face loss or imperfection—even in her son.

Donald Sutherland as Calvin Jarrett

Sutherland’s performance is subtle and aching. He plays Calvin as a man caught between love for his son and confusion over his wife's emotional detachment. His slow realization that the family is fundamentally broken is conveyed with nuance and grace.

Judd Hirsch as Dr. Berger

Hirsch brings grounded humanity to the role of Conrad’s therapist. He’s warm, witty, and unafraid to challenge Conrad’s defences. Their scenes together are the emotional core of the film, filled with the tension of guarded vulnerability and slowly earned trust.

Direction and Visual Style

Robert Redford’s direction is remarkable for its restraint. He avoids melodrama and spectacle, opting instead for quiet, observational storytelling. The camera lingers on characters’ faces, capturing the flickers of emotion beneath their words. He uses natural lighting and muted colours to reflect the emotional numbness of the Jarrett home.

Redford allows silences to breathe and scenes to play out without over-editing, emphasizing the awkwardness and distance in family interactions. His use of composition—such as characters often separated by frames or furniture—visually mirrors their emotional disconnection.

It’s a confident debut that reflects great trust in actors, dialogue, and atmosphere over narrative manipulation.

Music and Sound

The score, largely based around Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D, is sparse and elegiac. Its classical restraint complements the film’s tone—simple, mournful, and unobtrusive. Music is used sparingly, allowing dialogue and silence to do most of the emotional work.

Cultural and Critical Impact

Ordinary People won four Academy Awards:

Best Picture

Best Director (Redford)

Best Supporting Actor (Hutton)

Best Adapted Screenplay (Sargent)

Its win over Raging Bull remains one of the most debated Oscar decisions in history. However, the debate often overlooks that Ordinary People was revolutionary in quieter ways. It helped destigmatize therapy, opened up conversations about grief and mental health in American households, and provided a rare male-centred narrative of emotional fragility and healing.

The film has also endured as a staple in high school psychology classes and family therapy discussions, due to its authentic treatment of trauma and emotional dysfunction.

Criticisms

Deliberate Pacing: Some viewers may find the film slow or too emotionally muted, especially compared to more overtly dramatic family dramas.

Minimalist Style: Its subdued visual and narrative approach can feel underwhelming to those expecting overt plot or cinematic flourishes.

Beth’s Portrayal: While nuanced, some argue that Beth is overly cold, bordering on emotionally villainized, with less insight into her inner world compared to the male characters.

Still, these critiques are minor in light of the film’s lasting emotional power and influence.

Conclusion

Ordinary People is a masterclass in restrained storytelling, emotional honesty, and psychological realism. It’s a film about what isn’t said—about the damage silence, repression, and denial can do to individuals and families. With powerful performances across the board, sensitive direction from Robert Redford, and a story that prioritizes empathy over melodrama, the film has earned its place in cinematic history not through spectacle, but through subtlety.

It may be called Ordinary People, but its insights into the human condition are anything but ordinary.