7.03.2009

movie review: cherry blossoms


We just watched this German movie, Cherry Blossoms, about a husband and wife. The wife finds out at the beginning of the movie that her husband has a terminal illness and not much time to live. They give her the option of telling him. She has always wanted to visit Japan, and to be a Japanese dancer. And then she just dies. The husband, seeking to find his wife, travels to Japan, without knowing that he was sick. His quest to find his wife is the story.

The kids are so self involved. But now reflecting on the movie, all of the family was too self involved, even the dad/husband. No one seems to know anyone, appreciate them, or understand them. I suppose this is why the film is so sad to me.

On Thursday we went to see A Year of Magical Thinking. This play is based on the book by Joan Didion. She lost her husband and daughter in the space of less than a year and a half. The play starts out with her telling the audience, this will happen to you, even if you don't think it will. And I suppose she is right. A few times in the play she asks herself/the audience if she even knew her husband and daughter? "Were we always so afraid of one another?"

I like to really know people. I don't want the how are you, I am fine response. Marika told me when she was here the other day, that in Slovak there is no phrase to ask, "How's it going?" as a greeting. If you say this to someone, they think you really want to know, so they tell you. When did we start asking people how they are and stop caring about what they said? And when did we all decide to lie about how we are really doing?

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