Sun Jan 28, 2018 4:55 pm
Thank you for this beautiful piece, Dee. Your intro is also so very interesting and telling about the heart and soul of the film.
The working title for the film was 'Cello', a reference not only to the cello within the film, but also to the Italian word 'cielo' for heaven.
First, any film with the exquisitely melancholy voice of a cello interwoven throughout has me at the opening note. Interestingly, the cello is the instrument that is described as most like the human voice. How appropriate this plays throughout as Jamie's chosen instrument and musical expression, as the sound that captures Nina's ear and speaks of him, and as a nod in its very name to heaven....or sky.
The sky played a role....beyond the glass of the window, blue and billowy. Both Jamie and Nina stared up at it with longing. The clouds, much like stars, showcase from afar things that simply are not there but are represented in the wild and never ending mystery and pull of life itself. The window served as a barrier (his from the beyond and hers with a new life just outside her reach) and then a conduit to freshness and possibility. I found it so fitting that in the end it was through that window Jamie smiled with pleasure that his Beloved had found love and life again, even if laced with the sadness of letting go.
There were some extremely painful moments for me, particularly with the musical interaction. I will remember those moments in my own relationship or, if I leave first, my husband will no doubt. The spontaneous comradry and symbiotic ease and joy - a gift beyond words. The pleasure now for the pain then. Ring any bells? **See Shadowlands
This is a loving film, with the ghost of a loved man gently releasing his wife from the bonds that would deprive her of a full existence without him. The combination of life reaching out, as life does, and these odd bedfellows Jamie brings with him are the perfect pairing for moving forward. Jamie's idiosyncrasies highlighted the 'rose-colored glasses' Nina wore since his death, but truly the essence of him left behind was a rich reduction and aptly honored him. Juliet's depiction of grief while with the psychiatrist was one of the best I've ever seen. Disconsolate. Truly the hell of loss "Abandon all hope..." The veneer fell off like a mask and then snapped into place again, "I am fine. Truly I am."
I found the new love interest a little over the top, but someone else may have found him the perfect man with his hopping enthusiasm. I understand the big heart.
The art of letting go and believing that the future held promise was really a very positive aspect in this film that I felt could be balming even in a divorce situation and losses other than that of a spouse or lover.
I adored this film. A woman I am getting to know and love actually recommended this film just last week as one of the best she'd seen regarding this topic, as she has known more loss than nearly anyone I've met prior. I concur that the price of love is on full display, but the ever tender sprout of life breaks through with the promise that life not only goes on, but love can possibly be found again. That love may look different for different people - perhaps it is immersion in family, grandchildren, friends, or service, but somehow most people retool and find meaning. Still, personally I cannot face the day....
Dee, lovely, Dee...thank you for this beautiful and meaningful experience on a Sunday afternoon. I agree with DF that it was incredibly human and deeply spiritual. It is quite amazing that the film did not delve much into a definition of an afterlife, but really was spun for the living. I think I'll go look at the sky and wait for my sneezing virus-ridden husband to return home. He'd better not show up with a bevy of friends.
P.S. Rest in peace, Mr. Rickman. You have been a friend to me.
