Concussion (2013 film)

Abby Ableman (Robin Weigert), a lesbian with a domestic life and obligations, is accidentally hit in the head with a baseball by her son Jake. After being diagnosed with a concussion Abby starts to rethink her life, wanting more of a sex life, after having her wife fall asleep on her.

In contemplation, Abby decides to seek out a lover eventually making arrangements to sleep with a woman by the name of Gretchen for a one time splurge. The two women discuss how Gretchen uses this line of work to pay for college, that she loves having access to sexual encounters and that she incidentally appreciated being pleased by Abby, as well. Abby in realizing that she has enjoyed the access to sexual encounters, decides to partake in things on a more frequent basis. Soon enough she ends up having encounters with a number of women, eventually becoming intrigued with Sam, whom she recognizes from spin class. Like Abby, Sam finds herself in a familial configuration including a successful husband, children; plenty of money to go with. Abby appears to become intrigued with Sam, potentially wanting to move beyond a strictly hourly encounter. In time, Abby's own wife catches onto these encounters, then owns up to the fact that she “doesn’t want to have anyone”, including Abby. Abby runs into Sam at the supermarket, observing Sam flirt with her own husband, enjoying "This" life, perhaps finding it good enough, yet seeming pleasantly enthused to have run into Abby. After this Abby ends up having intense lesbian sex with another girl (Gray) for so long that she ends up missing to pick up her kids from school where her wife catches her. In the second to last scene Abby and Sam find themselves in a suburban moment, one taking out the garbage, the other taking their dog for a walk. Abby shares with Sam an observation, that their encounters were simply due to Sam's boredom, that this was all Sam was seeking out in their encounters and nothing more. And that this is why Abby has chosen to not see Sam anymore. In the final scene, Abby is out in the garden with her wife, listening to her contemplate the building of a new porch for the house. Abby settles back into her domestic life with a wife who doesn't desire her.

The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival. At Sundance, it secured a deal with The Weinstein Company for general release later in 2013.[4] At Berlin, the film won a Teddy Award Jury Prize as an outstanding film about LGBT themes.[5]

Concussion received generally positive reviews, currently holding a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 59 reviews, with an average score of 6.47/10; the consensus states: "Smart, nuanced, and sexy, Concussion transcends its more awkward moments thanks to Robin Weigert's remarkable starring performance."[6] On Metacritic, the film has a 56/100 rating, based on reviews from 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7]

• Concussion on IMDb
• Concussion at Box Office Mojo
• Concussion at Rotten Tomatoes
• Concussion at Metacritic
• Concussion at the TCM Movie Database