Magical realism is not a genre you see much of on film.  Every once in awhile a Midnight in Paris or a Benjamin Button will come along, but for the most part the intermingling of the supernatural with decidedly human stories remains a somewhat neglected sub-genre.  The Odd Life of Timothy Green, a welcome addition to the underutilized genre, uses a magical plant grown child as the starting point for a drama about a fading community and a burgeoning family.  In the film, Jennifer Garner stars as Cindy Green, one half of probably the nicest couple in film history, who along with his her husband Jim (Joel Edgerton) literally wishes a child into existence.  The newfound parents then have to grapple with the responsibilities and missteps that come with their unforeseen parenthood.In the following interview, Jennifer Garner discusses the nostalgic undercurrents for ‘traditional’ family values in Timothy Green, the ‘missteps’ of parenthood and what type of genre/character she would like to play next (a musical).  For the full interview, hit the jump.And here are my interviews with director Peter Hedges and Joel Edgerton.Jennifer Garner Time Index:

  • 00:00 – Jennifer Garner on the importance of making ‘mistakes’ as a parent (as the film itself endorses)
  • 01:10 – What attracted her to the project?
  • 02:00 – The film blends magic with reality – as an actor how do you approach those two separate aspects?
  • 02:35 – Does Jennifer Garner have a favorite role?
  • 02:55 – Is there any film genre Garner would like to do next…

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