Demolition may be marmite for its viewers. A talented ensemble examine grief and loss and the way it might strip us back to our truest core feelings, in an unconventional way.

To the unconvinced, the endeavour may be dismissed as a jumbled clichéd tale of man loses wife, man loses himself, man goes on a journey, man finds his true self, and along the way he smashes stuff up, but to those who are held in its thrall this is a deft, emotional and at times funny movie which holds us for the ride.

This story is well worth sticking with to get an interesting insight of modern man losing sight of the simple but equally necessary things in life like having fun and being engaged. Canadian filmmaker Jean-Marc Valée follows Dallas Buyers Club and Wild, with this story of an investment banker, Mitchell Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal) whose reaction to his wife's sudden violent death in a car accident at first seems numb and disconnected, incapable of feeling, but that emotional blockage starts to destroy, but when vented, eventually helps to rebuild his life.

Gyllenhaal isn't afraid to be obnoxious and difficult to be around, which is an interesting challenge considering it's a movie about someone wrestling with grief.

Whilst making a complaint about a faulty vending machine Davis meets Karen (Naomi Watts) who is an equally broken soul in her own life and in turn her young son (Judah Lewis); it may be the mother who makes him feel for somebody again but it's the developing relationship with the boy that helps to change the way he looks at the world, as though he's being reintroduced to the things he's forgotten as an adult.

To his family and particularly the grieving father-in-law (Chris Cooper) who seeks to honour his daughter's memory, Mitchell's erratic behaviour is alarming and damaging, being seen as disrespectful to a treasured memory, and ultimately leading to some revealing points of fracture.

The script is suffused with much irreverence as Mitchell rejects his one dimensional selfish corporate salary man persona in favour of honesty and begins to understand his true feelings and sense of identity. He finds himself through deconstructing and demolishing things which climaxes in a novel catharsis to his situation.

There is an overt rock 'n' roll spirit here, with a good musical score behind it to enjoy as the story arcs its path to a conclusion.

There are times when the script and metaphor could grate but with skilful direction and empathy Valée puts all the bits back together!