My roommate and I were in the "I'm not up for going out on the town", aka Friday, sort of mood tonight, so I popped over to the new frozen yogurt place across the way, grabbed treats and headed back to introduce her to one of my favorite films. I don't think I've written about it here before...
Each of the ten (+) times I've watched In the Land of Women, I find myself reflecting and thinking about life. Such a poignant, funny, sad and truly beautiful story erupts as a young guy from LA runs from his present reality, finding an unexpectedly safe haven in a small Michigan neighborhood where he takes time to care for his ailing grandmother. Two key characters, a mother and daughter living across the street, bring their own issues to bear as they spend time with him.
In the film everyone works to conceal something, but the thing they think is hidden is actually known. They just don't know that it's known. Confusing enough for you? Each time I watch it I'm reminded of the chaos existing in my own heart. What do I do with my pain? The characters handle pain differently. We see them running from it, medicating it, filling the void with things like relationships and busyness, or utterly suppressing it.
However, the sweetness comes in the honest moments. Each of them wants to be known; each takes risks, engages, fails, forgives. I love how messy it is -- I don't always understand or agree with their choices, but I 'get' the chaos, the pain. I never experience a sense of resolution as the credits roll, but I do feel strangely inspired. And though I have seen it many times, I'm still trying to put my finger on the 'why'.
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