The Squid and the Whale
2005 · 81 min · Director: Noah Baumbach
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
In 1986, In Brooklyn, New York, the dysfunctional family of pseudo intellectuals composed by the university professor Bernard and the prominent writer Joan split. Bernard is a selfish, cheap and jealous decadent writer that rationalizes every attitude in his family and life and does not accept "philistines" - people that do not read books or watch movies, while the unfaithful Joan is growing as a writer and has no problems with "philistines". Their sons, the teenager Walt and the boy Frank, feel the separation and take side: Walt stays with Bernard, and Frank with Joan, and both are affected with abnormal behaviors. Frank drinks booze and smears with sperm the books in the library and a locker in the dress room of his school. The messed-up and insecure Walt uses Roger Water's song "Hey You" in a festival as if it was of his own, and breaks up with his girlfriend Sophie. Meanwhile Joan has an affair with Frank's tennis teacher Ivan and Bernard with his student Lili.
Emotional fingerprint
The Squid and the Whale (2005) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Empathy 30%, Humor 25%, Sadness 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Empathy, Humor, Sadness. Genres: Comedy, Drama. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Empathy, Humor and Sadness. Its IMDb rating of 7.3/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 72/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Sadness
- Empathy
- Tension
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Nostalgia
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Sadness | Empathy | Tension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Tension | 30 % | 10 % | 13 % | 25 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 6′ | Tension | 30 % | 13 % | 16 % | 25 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 10′ | Sadness | 43 % | 31 % | 31 % | 35 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 14′ | Sadness | 59 % | 51 % | 49 % | 48 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 18′ | Sadness | 65 % | 53 % | 54 % | 57 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 22′ | Tension | 60 % | 43 % | 44 % | 54 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 26′ | Tension | 46 % | 30 % | 32 % | 40 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 30′ | Sadness | 40 % | 28 % | 29 % | 33 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 34′ | Sadness | 48 % | 37 % | 37 % | 42 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 38′ | Sadness | 52 % | 42 % | 44 % | 47 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 43′ | Sadness | 44 % | 31 % | 38 % | 36 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 47′ | Humor | 40 % | 20 % | 31 % | 29 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 51′ | Tension | 45 % | 26 % | 32 % | 35 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 55′ | Sadness | 50 % | 34 % | 38 % | 41 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 59′ | Tension | 55 % | 38 % | 46 % | 42 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 63′ | Nostalgia | 61 % | 45 % | 53 % | 40 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 67′ | Sadness | 64 % | 50 % | 55 % | 48 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 71′ | Tension | 63 % | 47 % | 53 % | 51 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 75′ | Empathy | 57 % | 42 % | 51 % | 40 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 79′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Oedipus
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about The Squid and the Whale. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
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Cast
Carl
Graduate Student
Graduate Student
Graduate Student
Graduate Student
Graduate Student
Graduate Student
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Details
- Directed by
- Noah Baumbach
- Written by
- Noah Baumbach
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2005
- Runtime
- 81 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Empathy
- Data updated
Where to watch
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