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The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)
Growing Up (and Abusive, neurotic parents)
I didn't realize that Paul Newman directed any movies. I wanted to watch this one right away. Another reason because the tagline was great, and because long, strange titles always captivate me. Beatrice Hunsdorfer was more than a b--ch, I thought she was neurotic. I searched Joanne Woodward on the net and come to find out she was in many films with Paul Newman and acted in 5 of his films, AND was his wife for 50 years until his death. I need to watch more of them both.
Anyway, my heart was just about broken for sweet, quiet Matilda, who I felt didn't hate her mother, as insensitive and misunderstanding as she was. She seemed intuitive and to love all things. Ruth the teenager was too busy trying to be grown-up. I liked showing these two dynamics together, because girls growing up can be either one. It's a confusing time of growth. I was reminded of my own childhood because it was me and my sister and my single mother for most of it. I had a wonderful mother, though. However, my mom had an abusive mother so I found the movie extremely relatable. The film showed single motherhood and how hard it can be to get by.
Another aspect portrayed is effects from trauma. I felt like Ruth was traumatized in some way by her mother, or had inherited her neuroses. This is seen when she has the panic attack in the bedroom. We often forget what our childhood environments have instilled in us. Growing up in a toxic environment, spiritually or physically, can have devastating effects on a person's ability to be healthy, happy, and autonomous. Clearly, Beatrice has been through hardship. But has she learned from it? Has she decided to change anything, or is she repeating bad habits that cause destruction? Throughout, she dwells on the past and her trials and complains. She is unhappy. And she doesn't have money to open her tea shop.
The movie was somewhat humorous, and I felt terrible for laughing at the scenes with Nanny Annie. It was just so tragic and funny. It showed how emotionally disconnected Beatrice really was when she would yell at the old lady. I was wondering the whole time what Nanny Annie was thinking, and I think she hated Beatrice because Beatrice assumed she was a vegetable of some sort. Overall, I believe the mother was an abusive person. Abuse is not always physical but can be verbal and mental. She projected her misery onto others and brought them down to her level. I got the feeling that Matilda was the type of person who would be okay no matter what. She knew how to cope. I believe that her experiment with the marigolds was her way of finding something she loved to do that could take her mind off of her mother's abuse. She had something real to direct her energy at. It's a wonderful lesson for dealing with any unhappiness, depression, etc. You have to have an outlet. And animal companionship is therapy in itself. When her pet rabbit dies and she picks it up, I had a flashback to my childhood again. Our cat had just had kittens, but one of them was weaker than the rest. It couldn't get anything to eat and couldn't move properly. We knew it was going to die, so I picked it up in a towel and held it on the bed, tears falling. I wanted to hold it while it passed away, maybe as a reassurance. Gradually it stopped moving and became stiff. I remember feeling so devastated for it, and crying a lot, and we of course buried it in the yard and had a mini funeral. Now I realize what an intimate moment of death that was. So when that scene happened in the movie this memory popped up and I obviously burst into tears. If you've never felt a dead animal before, it's a very cold and strange feeling. And I thought it was sort of implied that her mother had killed it or was responsible. That was pretty messed up. Anyway, I found this to be a very real story and I would love to read the play.
Take This Waltz (2011)
Hated It With A Passion
Okay, so maybe a 1 seems a little harsh, but I don't even f--king care because of how much this movie just annoyed the s--t out of me. I can't even really place where the hate I feel for this film comes from. I can't get over how the title had NOTHING to do with the movie, besides the fact she used the song by the same name in the actual movie, which bothered me terribly because the SONG had nothing to do with what happened ever. Uh, alright then? Take This Waltz by Leonard Cohen is a masterpiece of a song that had no business being in this film. I thought the movie was going to be about dancing, for Christ's sake. I wish someone else would actually use the song in a beautiful way, the way it deserves, and in a way that is relevant and makes sense. What a pointless film, seriously.