Went and saw this sort of knowing that I was likely in for some FEELINGS, but a blurb said something about how it was a balm for these difficult times and I was like yes please! And it is, if by balm you mean a good cathartic sob fest. Maybe I’m just emotionally fragile at the moment, but whooosh, I cried my eyes out and felt cleansed afterwards.
What is fascinating to me about this movie is that it seems highly idealized, but in a really positive way, in that it’s a movie that imagines what the life could be like if people were capable of clearly communicating their emotional needs and productively working through their trauma. It’s a movie about nice people being nice to each other, despite having experienced various forms of suffering and abuse. And occasionally it gives you these little reminders of how some (a lot) of people are selfish or cruel, but for the most part it does so in a kind of retrospective way, where you don’t fear for the characters you care about because you are confident that they will be ok, they will manage these unpleasant interactions calmly and wisely, and they will be comforted by the kindness of the people close to them.
But it’s worth mentioning that the movie really only works because all of the actors do an absolutely tremendous job. Barbie Ferreira is spectacular, but for me it was especially rewarding to see John Leguizamo give a truly brilliant performance, complete with a wonderful Oklahoma drawl. What a joy.
Kasia Reads 