Diane Keaton Directing? Little Man Tate and the Director's Touch

Okay, so I was on my usual director deep dive and stumbled upon... Diane Keaton's Little Man Tate (1991). I had NO idea she directed this! I'm usually pretty good with filmographies, but this one totally slipped under my radar. Figured I'd give it a watch, because Keaton's acting choices are always so interesting, I was curious to see what she'd bring behind the camera. It's a pretty sentimental flick about a single mom, Dede (Jodie Foster, who's great as always), raising this genius kid, Fred. I thought the movie balanced the 'gifted child' trope pretty well, especially with the introduction of Jane Grierson (Dianne Wiest), who runs this institute for gifted kids. You can see Dede struggling between wanting Fred to be 'normal' and giving him what he needs to grow. I especially liked the scene where Fred is asked what he wants to be and he says "happy." It felt very real and not at all saccharine. Keaton really lets Foster and Wiest do their thing, and the performances are really strong. What struck me most was how quiet the direction is. It's not showy, not like some first-time directors trying to prove themselves. It's focused on the characters and their relationships. The framing is thoughtful, but never distracting. Maybe that's Keaton's experience as an actor informing her choices? She knows how to guide performances without overshadowing them. Though I do wonder... did anyone else find the kid playing Fred (Adam Hann-Byrd) a little wooden at times? It didn't ruin the movie for me, but there were parts where the dialogue felt unnaturally delivered by him. Overall I enjoyed it! It's a solid family drama with some really poignant moments. I'm now even MORE curious about Keaton's directorial output. Think I'll have to track down Unstrung Heroes next. Anyone else seen that one? Thoughts?