It's hard to be in love.
I saw two great movies this weekend and I attempted to make a list that could fit both of them. The films were "The Tree of Life" and "Beginners". The two films are very different.
The Tree of Life is heavy and you leave the film feeling so full. Like you've tasted something richer than you thought existed. It's a beautiful movie. A lot of people won't be able to appreciate it because many people don't care to reach below the surface. You have to be the type of person who questions everything and thinks deeply about everything to really appreciate the film. Not to insult anyone who didn't understand it, it's not an easy film to watch and take in. But I have never seen a film put together so well, it's really perfect. I have such a great respect for Terrence Malick. He not only directed this movie but wrote it, and you can tell that an amazing amount of thought went into every detail. It's perfect.
Beginners is on a whole other playing field from Tree of Life. I refuse to compare the movies, so I'm going to review it as if it's standing alone. Beginners shows us the way love has changed over time, the way the world has changed. The main character, Oliver, is this wonderfully broken man who cannot get past the death of his father. The film takes us between the present, Oliver's childhood, and the time before his father dies. We're given the important pieces of his relationship with his parents, and the way those relationships have contributed to his own issues in the present. It's a very nice movie, sad but it's very good. It isn't trying to be anything else, it isn't aiming to please anyone, it's just nice and true.
Anyway, enough reviewing! My list for today is of movies that portray romances realistically. It's tough because everyone sees romance differently, so your list would probably be different from mine. But for me, love is hard. Without passion it's impossible, and even with passion you could end up ripping someone's head off. But it's beautiful and raw, and sometimes it makes everything feel better. The pain of love can only be overpowered by the grace. Okay, I'm rambling now. Here's the list.
1. Beginners (Oliver and Anna.)
2. The Tree of Life (Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien)
3. Eternal Sunshine (Joel and Clementine)
4. The Last Station (Leo and Sofya) in their happiest moment in the whole film haha
5. Fatal Attraction (hahahahahaha... Dan and Alex)
6. Adam (Adam and Beth)
7. Blue Valentine (Dean and Cindy)
8. Little Manhattan (Gabe and Rosemary) I had to throw this one in.
9. Shopgirl (Ray and Mirabelle) Can you tell this is one of my favorite movies?
10. Lost in Translation (Charlotte and Bob)
Some of them don't make it. Some of them do. Some of their fates are up to us.
There are a lot of other movies I didn't include; Crazy Heart, Waitress, 500 Days of Summer, Moonstruck, etc. I'm sure you have some recommendations as well. To have loved and lost, is better than to have never loved at all. Right?
We'll see. That's all I have for today. Goodnight :)