And the Best Picture goes to....

This is a story about what could have been the perfect American family until the unhappy wife decides to leave in search of herself. This departure leaves her husband, a chauvinistic, “bringing home the bacon” breadwinner, to learn how to take care of their young son on his own. Dustin Hoffman portrays this role with an initial arrogance, but he eventually learns to balance his work responsibilities with family life, ultimately becoming a better father because of it.

As the film progresses, there are many touching and emotional scenes shared between Dustin Hoffman and young Justin Henry, who plays his son. These moments include teaching the boy how to ride a bike and rushing him to the emergency room after a playground accident. Throughout the film, Hoffman effectively expresses a range of emotions such as joy, pride, and even panic. This emotional depth contributes to a certain sense of reality between father and son as they adapt to their new way of life.

Meryl Streep’s character could easily be seen as a villain for having abandoned her child, but in reality, she represents many women who felt unhappy and trapped in the traditional roles of mother and housewife. However, she finds the strength to return and fight for custody of her son.

It’s also noteworthy that the courtroom scene, in which Streep’s character explains her reasons for leaving her son, was rewritten by Streep herself. She believed it was important for the audience to understand her character’s perspective, and this change did succeed in softening the portrayal of Joanna.

Ahead of its time, Kramer vs. Kramer successfully explored the changing divorce process by introducing topics such as single-parenthood and father’s rights, which until the 1970s had been fairly unheard of.  It provides a significant commentary on the changing roles of parents that continues to resonate even today, more than forty years later.