2 writers in a messy divorce with 2 sons

Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

Sexy but unstable wife and mother Jude walked out on her family three years ago. Now, just as suddenly, she is back. But her husband, Robert, has fallen in love with Callie, an assistant principal at his sons' school. He asks Jude for a divorce. She responds by trying to turn her three boys against Callie, then by slashing herself and blaming her rival and finally by drawing her 12-year-old, Kes, into a murderous plot.

The dissolution of an 18-year marriage, seen first from his point-of-view and then from hers.

A divorced woman challenges society's view of her, as she attempts to confront the impact of the separation decision on her and her young children, as well as her ex-husband.

In this rambling comic tale about a man and a wife, with four children, who calmly announce to the children that they want to divorce one another, it is impossible to tell who is dissatisfied with whom about what. They had seemed to be a perfect couple. Their flabbergasted children have mixed feelings, and the most difficult thing about the divorce, besides understanding why it is taking place at all, is deciding what will happen with the couple's numerous pets.

Two single fathers and their sons deal with the respective tragedies and losses in their lives.

The parents of a two boys remarried after divorce. The older one stayed with his father and his attractive young wife, while the younger one stayed with the mother and her new husband. On Sundays, the two boys visit the other family alternately, and the younger Djuro will soon realize that they have much more in common.