Rated: PG-13
This is a movie that is easy to dislike. You can complain that it's depressing or tedious. You can hate all the characters since they aren't heroes and they aren't selfless. You can say "It's just a chick flick minus the happy ending where the herione runs off with Mr Right". And let's face it, it ain't a whole lot of fun.
The movie, however, is brilliant. And the performances are something to witness. Julianne Moore... I'm sorry, how does she do what she does? I've never seen anyone portray mental anguish while trying to put on a smile as well as she does it. Incredible.
The movie follows three different women in separate places and different eras. All of whom are linked in a couple ways by the book "Mrs Dalloway".
Nicole Kidman won the Oscar for her portrayal of the first character, the author Virginia Woolf in the 1920's. Virginia Woolf authored "Mrs. Dalloway" and the book itself is about people's inner lives. Their thoughts, regrets, hopes... and despite having what most would consider great lives, they are unhappy. Spending much of their days inside their own heads. I don't even recognize Nicole Kidman here, such a good portrayal! We follow Virginia Woolf herself, a manic-depressive who writes to stay sane basically.
We follow Julianne Moore's character, a housewife with a beautiful son and adoring husband at her home in 1950's Los Angeles. She, despite having a nice home and loving family, is herself like the walking dead. So unhappy and suffocating internally. Helpless in the socially designated life she is expected to want and accept.
She reads the book "Mrs. Dalloway" on a very important day in her life and is moved to act... regardless of the consequences.
And lastly we follow Meryl Streep's modern day character in NYC on the day she is planning a party for an ex-love who is deeply connected to this story in more than one way himself.
The layers to this movie are too many to number. But probably most important one I picked out that "made" the movie for me was it's portrayal of what exactly happens when you live your life for others. I don't mean 'in the service of others' which is commendable. But instead living FOR other people... as they think you should. Unless we are ourselves first, no matter how you try to conform you can never GIVE of yourself entirely as you will never actually be who you really are. And so to say "I love you", unless it comes from a place of total self awareness and self-acceptance, really means nothing in the end. It may satisfy the other characters in your own life's drama movie because they can convince themselves it is true, but it would be a work of fiction. None of the women in this movie are alive. So, well, this is a great movie in spite of its quite depressing plot.
70% for The Hours
No comments:
Post a Comment