Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
A manic-depressive mess of a father tries to win back his wife by attempting to take full responsibility of their two young, spirited daughters, who don't make the overwhelming task any easier.
Infinitely Polar Bear is anchored by a remarkably committed performance from Mark Ruffalo, whose portrayal of a bipolar father is the film's clear standout — genuinely exceptional in its physical and emotional specificity. The plot is a warm, semi-autobiographical slice-of-life drama that works well enough but follows a fairly predictable arc of struggle, growth, and tentative redemption without major surprises. Cinematography is serviceable and period-appropriate but unremarkable, leaning on a naturalistic 1970s palette without distinctive visual ambition. Novelty earns a modest above-average score for its grounded, affectionate, and non-sensationalized take on bipolar disorder within a family context — rarer than it might seem — though it doesn't fully transcend its indie drama conventions. The ending is satisfying and emotionally honest without being particularly memorable or daring.