Movies Blog : dying, films

Sunshine Cleaning

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:24:00 GMT

Rose and Norah were little girls when their little mother died. They both came in from playing in the yard to find their mom dead in the bathroom, an apparent suicide. As the two girls grow up, that day shapes their lives. Rose is a single mother working hard as a house cleaner to raise her son, while having an affair with her married high school sweetheart. Norah is a party girl. She doesn't have a boyfriend, drinks all the time, and can't hold a job. Their father is a quirky man always looking for a get-rich-quick scheme.

After Rose's son is expelled from school and a reunion with her high school friends approaching, Rose convinces Norah to start a crime scene cleaning business with her. Hilarity ensues as the two women struggle to learn the ropes of cleaning up grisly crime scenes, but there is an underlying seriousness as well. With their new business taking off, both Rose and Norah have to come to grips with what happen to their mother all those years ago and figure out what they want out of their own lives.

Fans of Little Miss Sunshine will like this movie with the quirky characters, humor, but a serious storyline as well. I laughed out loud and cried a few times as well. Highly recommended.

The Spirit of the Beehive

wag.mado@evpl — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:07:00 GMT

Thanks to a recommendation by my friend, I watched a stunning film this weekend. Set in a Castilian village somewhere in early 1940's rural Spain, this movie has won international acclaim as a masterpiece - labeled one of the greatest Spanish films of the 1970's. On the surface, it is a coming of age story in which six-year-old Ana, played by Ana Torrent, tries to make sense of the world after seeing a young girl die in the classic 1931 film, Frankenstein. However, the movie is chock-full of symbolism and is also a commentary on life at the conclusion of the Spanish Civil War. The cinematic photography shot by Luis Cuadrado (who was going blind while the film was being made) is stark and breathtaking. Each scene seems to stay in your memory as a snapshot. As with many foreign films, the pace is hauntingly slow and the dialogue is sparse, adding to the intense feeling and emotion of the storyline. Isabel Telleria plays the innocent Ana's older sister Isabel, and has a menacing side to say the least. Together, these beautiful little girls bring this powerful story to life.

The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) was written and directed by Victor Erice and is one of only three movies he made over a 20 year period. The other two films, The South (1982) and The Quince Tree Sun (1992) are also highly regarded.

Treat yourself to The Spirit of the Beehive. It now ranks among my top ten favorite foreign films.

Two Weeks (2006)

HRevvdon@evpl — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 23:58:00 GMT

Two Weeks (2006) is about four grown siblings that return to their mother’s house to be with her while she is dying from ovarian cancer. There are wonderful poignant performances from all the characters, all of which are played by actors that always turn in credible performances but don’t have the star-power to make you remember their names. You will remember their faces.

The strongest performances are from Julianne Nicholson as Emily and Ben Chaplin as Keith, along with the usual excellent performance by Sally Field as the mother. Field is in an almost dual performance as a woman in the last days of dying and in video vignettes filmed by one son in the days before she becomes bedridden. The vignettes serve to punctuate the emotional impact of what the siblings are going through and give insight to the character of the mother. Listen carefully for gems of wisdom and observation from both the mother and Emily.

The film is touching, emotional, and funny. It is well written and directed by Steve Stockman and based on personal experience. Having recently lost three family members, two to ovarian cancer, I thought the film would be difficult to watch but I told myself I would just stop it and take it out of the DVD player. Rather that being difficult to watch or depressing, it was a cathartic experience for me and so obviously close to “real life” that I was laughing out loud.

It is an exceptional independent film that I would highly recommend. I am very glad I stumbled across it.