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janie-93968
Reviews
Short Stories (1990)
One of the best TV series !
I loved this program so much. I wish all the episodes of "Short Stories" were available on DVD. For anyone who loves reading, including short stories, this series was a dream. The episodes were very well acted,just very good and professionally done in general. The kind of intelligent program that is woefully rare. It's been so long since I saw any of the stories, I'm coming up a bit short on what to say, except I do remember looking forward to them and being so impressed.
And just like a good anthology of stories in book form, this TV series was also a very good introduction of various authors for anyone new to their writing. There was a least one well written ghost story portrayed in the series, a short story by Edith Wharton titled "Afterward". These episodes are gems and I just keep hoping they'll be released as DVDs.
America ReFramed: Rachel Is (2014)
A Beautiful Child Has A Hateful,Cold,Snake For A Mother
I felt ill watching this film. It was cruel.Rachel wasn't the problem. Her passive aggressive mother was the problem. The mentally retarded girl, Rachel, wasn't half as clueless as her family seemed to think. If you really listen to her with respect, she's not difficult and not so clueless. When you see her interact with her peers she was clearly not as badly impaired as they were, often she seemed the most sane person in many situations. Including interactions with her own mother.
It just killed me to see Rachel's hateful,cold "mother" interact with her. The mother was too sour and short sighted to see Rachel was only reflecting {the mother's} passive-aggressive hatred right back at her. It was so sad. Often Rachel would request something from her mother only to be rebuffed in the coldest way. It was clear she needed attention, and got only acid in return. The mother didn't seem to love Rachel or realize how harmless her bids for attention were -- or that if she only was given some loving attention it would have greatly helped. The mother was desperate to get rid of Rachel, and you never see her just giving Rachel a hug when she got upset. Rachel displayed more maturity than her mother. The mother had no warmth, no sense of compassion or understanding. Rachel was very sweet,poignant and frustrated over the negativity she constantly received from her mother. The mother tended to talk "above" Rachel, and Rachel was NOT unaware of that. Instead of giving answers to Rachel in a respectful way, instead she'd receive word play or circular answers. As if the mother were trying to confuse her. In one scene Rachel was clearly interested in ordering soup at a restaurant, and the mother made a joke out of the situation {ALWAYS SHE WAS THINKING SHE WAS RACHEL'S VICTIM...}, instead of helping her daughter order the soup. The waitress said she thought the broccoli soup was vegetarian,which was what they were looking for. But instead of getting it for Rachel the mother acted like she was in an impossible situation and decided on just the salad bar. Just like that, made no sense. It was always just too much for that woman to deal with ordinary things, I would have guessed it was the mother who had the mental issues.
Rachel's own family made fun of her in certain statements. They thought they were making a film about their mentally retarded family member, and yet it was her family that seemed the most messed up. They say ignorant things like Rachel is "difficult". Well, ?, she has a mental problem. It would figure at times it's hard for her too. She seemed aware of her limitations, tries to tell people what she needs from them but even her own family labels her and misunderstands her. Sad !
Rachel is actually a sweet girl, who understands and wants more answers than she gets. The mother would start playing word games with her instead of genuinely talking with her. Talked to her in usually a negative, cold, demeaning tone of voice. I think I genuinely could see that Rachel is able to understand when people are being jive with her. She was dealt with mainly in a mocking manner. I think I saw frustration, Rachel really wants true,respectful communication and attention but instead would be written off at nearly every turn. It was horrible to watch it happen. Mom felt so superior to her poor daughter. She couldn't see that the tantrums were a cry for attention and love. Try respecting your daughter. Try that.
It would be nice to know how Rachel is doing, and I hope the mother has lost her nasty attitude towards her daughter, who is actually a darling girl. It broke my heart to see the sarcastic mother. In the scene where Rachel wants help with a dresser drawer...I think she really just wanted her mother to show her some attention by helping her with the drawer. Instead she was left to cry alone in her room. Shame on her mother. The mother created most of the conflict in Rachel.