Rainy Days Movie Review
The last two nights were spent watching two different movies that were both depressing and surprisingly similar. The first movie was The Life Before Her Eyes with Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. The story is 2 best friends in highschool where one is classically rebellious and the other, classically conversvative but they still manage to see beyond the behavior to each others' hearts. Together, they face the now-common tragedy of a school shooting. The story cuts to the rebellious friend, Diana, living a seemingly perfect life (played by Uma Thurman), but completely battling her guilt thoughts and perceptions of reality based on the pinnacle event she went through in highschool. The story cuts back in time over and over again, highlighting the girls' unique relationship, experiences that the younger Diana (Wood) had apart from the school shooting, and the other friend, Maureen's (played by Eva Amurri) love and strength. The story unravels quickly, through events and through the cinematography, almost creating an anxiety over the conclusion. There's no way it can be good. The story really plays on themes of guilt and conscience, with a scene of a professor stating that "the conscience is the mind of God and human nature" interacting.
The second film I watched was called Snow Angels The opening scene deals with a highschool football field and band practice being interrupted by gunshots ringing in the distance (ironically similar to The Life Before...). The reviews of this movie focused on human relationships and the need to connect, but I found it strikingly about guilt-driven behavior. Each character seemed to act out not based on what they really wanted, but in a sense, running from what was their reality. The main characted was Annie, played by Kate Beckinsale, who served at a Chinese restaurant in a random small town (side note: this film was further proof for me that staying in a small town is no bueno). The other relationships in the film spring from her coworkers at the Chinese restaurant. Annie is separated from her super-religious, alcoholic husband Glen, and having an affair with her coworker Barb's husband Nate. Glen is trying to get his life in order enough to be around their daughter Tara. Annie's coworker Arthur is a really cute highschool student who we have the pleasure of seeing fall in love with the wierd, new girl Lila. This relationship counteracts the failed adult relationships showcased in the movie as it springs from innocence, true friendship and first love. Through a series of events both tragic and consequential, the little town and its in-house relationships unravel to the point of an innocent child dying and the spiraling of emotions from that point forward. Without giving too much away, the guilt and anger that ensues from that tragedy leads to another death who's victim seems to feel deserving of, unable to alleviate their own guilt and sadness.
Thinking about these two movies in conjunction with each other, the trajectory of the stories had to end in death. The only way for each of these characters to get beyond the events of their lives was the taking of their own as their guilt-ridden conscience and outward relationships unraveled to a point of alienation, sadness, and anxiety. As I thought about it, although these movies were depressing in their conclusions, they poignantly highlighted our complete human inability to ultimately pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. It has me thinking about what we really are and can do apart from the grace of God. We can find a job, find a lover, find a home, find a social circle, basically live our lives by the bootstraps approach. But what about the events that occur inbetween these human choices? What of the things that are out of our control, the things that happen that are unfair, or tragic, or "wrong place, wrong time"? We can't protect our conscience and hearts from these things. We don't have control of that reality. It's the end of the road experiences, the things that make us think over and over again in our heads "what if I had just..." The gap between us and God is the grace and love He gives us, the forgiveness and purpose in a relationship with Him. I struggle slash can't stand religiosity, but I know that apart from a relationship with my Creator, I would ultimately end in death. In Hosea, God promises to heal my desertion of religion and to love me freely (14:4). I read that today and although I don't feel it, I believe it. It is the way for our conscience to be free.
The second film I watched was called Snow Angels The opening scene deals with a highschool football field and band practice being interrupted by gunshots ringing in the distance (ironically similar to The Life Before...). The reviews of this movie focused on human relationships and the need to connect, but I found it strikingly about guilt-driven behavior. Each character seemed to act out not based on what they really wanted, but in a sense, running from what was their reality. The main characted was Annie, played by Kate Beckinsale, who served at a Chinese restaurant in a random small town (side note: this film was further proof for me that staying in a small town is no bueno). The other relationships in the film spring from her coworkers at the Chinese restaurant. Annie is separated from her super-religious, alcoholic husband Glen, and having an affair with her coworker Barb's husband Nate. Glen is trying to get his life in order enough to be around their daughter Tara. Annie's coworker Arthur is a really cute highschool student who we have the pleasure of seeing fall in love with the wierd, new girl Lila. This relationship counteracts the failed adult relationships showcased in the movie as it springs from innocence, true friendship and first love. Through a series of events both tragic and consequential, the little town and its in-house relationships unravel to the point of an innocent child dying and the spiraling of emotions from that point forward. Without giving too much away, the guilt and anger that ensues from that tragedy leads to another death who's victim seems to feel deserving of, unable to alleviate their own guilt and sadness.
Thinking about these two movies in conjunction with each other, the trajectory of the stories had to end in death. The only way for each of these characters to get beyond the events of their lives was the taking of their own as their guilt-ridden conscience and outward relationships unraveled to a point of alienation, sadness, and anxiety. As I thought about it, although these movies were depressing in their conclusions, they poignantly highlighted our complete human inability to ultimately pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. It has me thinking about what we really are and can do apart from the grace of God. We can find a job, find a lover, find a home, find a social circle, basically live our lives by the bootstraps approach. But what about the events that occur inbetween these human choices? What of the things that are out of our control, the things that happen that are unfair, or tragic, or "wrong place, wrong time"? We can't protect our conscience and hearts from these things. We don't have control of that reality. It's the end of the road experiences, the things that make us think over and over again in our heads "what if I had just..." The gap between us and God is the grace and love He gives us, the forgiveness and purpose in a relationship with Him. I struggle slash can't stand religiosity, but I know that apart from a relationship with my Creator, I would ultimately end in death. In Hosea, God promises to heal my desertion of religion and to love me freely (14:4). I read that today and although I don't feel it, I believe it. It is the way for our conscience to be free.
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