"Demolition" (2015) tells the story of Davis Mitchell (Jake Gyllenhaal), a successful Wall Street investment banker whose life is irrevocably altered when his wife, Julia, is killed in a car accident. Surprisingly, Davis finds himself unable to feel any grief or emotion over her death, which bewilders those around him, especially his father-in-law and boss, Phil (Chris Cooper).
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Davis experiences a strange detachment from his life. He begins writing increasingly personal and revealing complaint letters to a vending machine company after a machine in the hospital malfunctions. These letters catch the attention of customer service representative Karen (Naomi Watts), who is dealing with her own emotional and financial struggles.
Davis's unconventional grieving process leads him to literally dismantle various aspects of his life. He starts by taking apart household appliances, then moves on to tearing down his entire house, believing that by deconstructing things, he can understand what went wrong and how to rebuild. He develops an unlikely connection with Karen and her rebellious teenage son, Chris (Judah Lewis), who also struggles with his own form of grief and identity.
Through these acts of literal and metaphorical demolition, and his interactions with Karen and Chris, Davis slowly begins to confront the truth about his marriage and his own emotional numbness. He realizes that his relationship with Julia had become stagnant and that he had been emotionally disconnected for a long time. The film explores his journey of self-discovery, eventually leading him to a breakthrough and a release of pent-up emotions, allowing him to finally experience grief and begin the process of genuine healing and rebuilding his life.
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