An Intense, Underrated War Movie Completely Changed the Career of ‘Only Murders in the Building’s Newest Villain

Despite having the unfortunate luck of playing the titular hero in the disastrous adaptation of the Rick Riordan novel Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Logan Lerman quickly proved that he was far more than just another teen star. Lerman appeared in one of the most moving coming-of-age dramas ever with The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and later showed his grittier side when he teamed up with Brad Pitt and director David Ayer to make the brutal World War II drama Fury. By the mid-2010s, it was already clear that Lerman could excel in more adult roles, but he was still at a tender enough age to realistically play a college-aged character in a more subdued role. Lerman’s performance in an adaptation of Philip Roth’s most famous novel proved just how much range he was capable of.

Although Roth is recognized as one of the great American writers of the 20th century, adaptations of his films have not always been the strongest. Ewan McGregor made his dire directorial debut with an adaptation of American Pastoral;Al Pacino gave one of his worst performances in Barry Levinson’s version of The Humbling, and even Elegy earned mixed responses, despite the praise received by Ben Kingsley for his towering performance. 2016’s Indignation is one of the rare Roth adaptations that captures the energy and verbosity of his prose, and Lerman’s performance only makes its tragic commentary on youthful indiscretion more powerful.

‘Indignation’ Is Inspired by a Great Work of Literature

Lerman stars in Indignation as teenager Marcus Messner, who comes from a Jewish family and works at a butcher’s shop with his father, Max (Danny Burstein). Although Marcus is an independent thinker who often finds it challenging to conform to authority, his parents insist that he attend Winesburg College (on a scholarship from his local synagogue), a private Christian school in Ohio. As well as providing him with an excellent education that could lead to successful job opportunities, attending a school like Winesburg would allow Marcus to avoid being drafted for the United States’ ongoing involvement in the Korean War.

Indignation explores the post-war shift within the consciousness of the American youth, who became less willing to accept the fundamentals taught to them by their parents. Not only does Marcus disagree with some of the school’s socially conservative policies, but he finds it interminable to attend religious ceremonies when he is an atheist. Although this leads Marcus to form a strong relationship with fellow student Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon), it also locks him into a bitter feud with Winesburg’s Dean Hawes D. Caudwell (Tracy Letts).

Indignation explores the disenfranchisement of free thinkers like Marcus, who fear being forced to live the same derivative lives as their parents. The film examines why a character like Marcus would be so vulnerable, as his seemingly innocent questions are met with silence by all of the authorities at his college. As a result, Marcus is forced to try things on his own, which often leads to unintended consequences. Marcus was denied proper education on how to conduct himself with a person that he is romantically interested in, which makes his relationship with Olivia poised to fail. Although Marcus is very compassionate, he realizes too late that Olivia has suffered from debilitating mental illness and has been severely mistreated by her own parents. Given that this was a time in which mental illness was not brought up in “civil society,” Marcus grows infuriated that simply being involved with Olivia means that he should be shamed.

‘Indignation’ Is Logan Lerman’s Most Gripping Performance

Although Marcus often makes the type of mistakes that are common for a young man of his background, it’s easy to empathize with his mindset; Marcus has been taught by his parents to be vigilant so that he can avoid anti-Semitic bullies, but this also means that it is hard for him to form close personal connections with his classmates at university. It’s the shared experience of persecution that initially draws Marcus and Olivia together, as Indignation foreshadows the danger of such young, innocent characters making major decisions before they’ve had the chance to mature. Indignation showed that Lerman could adapt to a more traditional acting style, as much of the film consists of direct conversations between characters that have the same authenticity as a stage production. This is most evident during the interactions between Marcus and the Dean; although Letts is one of the most accomplished stage actors living today, Lerman is able to go toe-to-toe with him during their intense arguments.

Although Marcus is not a character without his flaws, the sense of innocence and sincerity that Lerman brings to his performance is utterly heartbreaking. Lerman is perfect at delivering the type of classical dialogue that is often directly lifted from Roth’s original novel, yet the film is still such a relatable depiction of adolescent anxieties that it can resonate with fans who loved The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Perhaps the financial disappointment of Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Sea of Monsters ended up being a good thing for Lerman’s career; instead of being stuck within a contract that forced him to play Percy in multiple sequels, Lerman has been able to give a wonderfully silly performance in Only Murders in the Buildingand take a risk on an artistic project like Indignation.