******MOVIE SPOILER ALERT*********
"Remember Me" with Robert Pattinson (of Twilight fame) amd Emilie de Ravin
******MOVIE SPOILER ALERT*********
******MOVIE SPOILER ALERT*********
OK, you have been warned.
H was out playing guitars last night.
When he does this, I usually plunk in front of the TV, watch some stupid movie he has no interest in seeing, and knit.
Last night, I watched "Remember Me."
RPatz plays Tyler Hawkins, a 22-year-old New Yorker who is coping with a family tragedy, and trying to be a good son and brother, and who falls in love with the daughter of a cop who unjustly beat him up and has pretty horrific family history of her own. It is NOT a comedy - it is a complicated, thoughtful, actually quite lovely movie about a young man trying to find his way in the world, and Pattinson displays acting skill of which I did not, frankly, think him capable. (Of course, he was also nice to look at...)
The movie was just about over, and I could not puzzle out how in God's green earth they were going to end it. It seemed pretty clear it wasn't just going to be some smarmy happy ending, the rest of the movie was too complex for that....but the smaller tragedy of what happens to the character is compounded by the huge scale tragedy of the day -- it ends on Sept 11, 2001, which you should see coming, looking back - but you don't see it at all.
RPatz's character is waiting for his high-powered father in his offices...the camera pans from him looking out at the city, saying what a beautiful day, and then the camera slowly pans out to outside the building looking at him, silhouetted in a window of one of the WTC towers. And from there...well....
I had a visceral reaction - I felt like I was going to vomit.
I sobbed, and could not stop.
Does everyone else remember sitting in front of CNN or Fox that day, watching live footage, praying and shaking and crying (and in my case, frantically speed dialing two loved ones who worked across the West Side Highway from the Towers)? I felt like that's what we all did, that tragic and horrible morning.
Till now I have pretty successfully avoided any commercial representation of that day on purpose...."Man on Wire" was bad enough and that was just the Towers, not what happened. This was...different. Punch to the gut.
And *I* am lucky, because everyone I love who was in danger at all was safe at the end of that day.
And it still affected me that way.
I am experiencing, in the words of Joke, "hangover" today.
I can't shake it.
I really, really wish I had never watched it.
But then I would have missed an otherwise wonderful movie.
Even the ending, while maybe manipulative, was not trite or overdone.
But I have a very hard time with anyone using the events of that day for any form of entertainment.
I finally stopped sobbing, but my eyes are still swollen today.
I probably should have just watched "New Moon" again.
10 comments:
I've removed it from my queue. I hate endings like that.
I'm glad that you summarized it. Now I know. I remember that day, listening to the morning talk radio guys, and I thought it was just more of their stupid banter, so thought it was a joke, that an airplane flew into a building. And then it turned out it wasn't, so the next thought was that it would be a crazy time at work because of the airplane stuff. And then. It played out the way it did. And EVERYTHING has changed dramatically, ever since that day. I hope you feel better soon. Sigh.
it was such a good movie otherwise, and I guess many people had no trouble with the ending. but i really do have a big problem with using that day for any sort of entertainment value at all. not to mention I hated to see his character die, he was such a good kid (in the movie, I mean, Tyler).
Gah, I just left a long comment and then lost it when I stuffed up the word verif.
I was wondering, without trying to trivialise your reaction, or indeed the events of Sept 11 and community reaction to them, about when it become ok or even appropriate to reference traumatic events in books and films.
(I would say never, in cases where they are trivialised or made fun of, but what about when they're referred to sensitively and with dignity?)
I was thinking about other actual events from both ancient and recent history including medieval witchhunts, WWII, Elizabethan beheadings, the Vietnam War etc etc, and wondering when was there consensus about when it became ok or appropriate or less traumatic to refer to them in narratives?
And then I wondered about say the London Tube bombings of even more recent history, and whether many Londoners would find it too painful just yet to see that event depicted in film (or book).
I want to stress I'm not trying to argue with you, just trying to nut these things out. Not terribly articulately I'm afraid, but hopefully without causing offence.
I hope you're feeling better soon darl.
Ugh. It sounds like a "cheap" way of ending the movie from what you've said. And Suse's point is an interesting one. I did a paper in college on Arthur Miller and how theatre should be daring...
but that is a thought for another day. I haven't seen any of the Twilight movies, but my latest brain candy is Ugly Betty. I actually purchased S.3 because who knows when I'll get it from the library.
I prescribe virtual cupcakes (they are my specialty--you pick what kind and no calories).
xo,
SL
No, Suse, I get your point. And I think for many people that time has already come. I am probably just an overly-sensitive delicate flower : ) It was a powerful ending. That was the problem, really. too powerful, at least for me.
Rob Pattinson can act, really?
It still shocks me when I see the Towers in a movie shot before September 11.
So this movie ending would be worse.
It was a most terrible day for the rest of the world. I cannot begin to imagine what it was like for Americans.
ugg boots, ray ban sunglasses, louis vuitton, polo ralph lauren, tory burch outlet, gucci handbags, tiffany and co, air max, nike free, burberry pas cher, michael kors pas cher, louis vuitton outlet, longchamp outlet, oakley sunglasses, oakley sunglasses wholesale, oakley sunglasses, louis vuitton outlet, louboutin pas cher, sac longchamp pas cher, louis vuitton, nike air max, longchamp pas cher, christian louboutin, christian louboutin shoes, jordan shoes, polo outlet, chanel handbags, ray ban sunglasses, christian louboutin uk, prada handbags, uggs on sale, longchamp outlet, replica watches, tiffany jewelry, christian louboutin outlet, cheap oakley sunglasses, louis vuitton outlet, nike free run, ugg boots, jordan pas cher, oakley sunglasses, replica watches, kate spade outlet, nike outlet, nike air max, longchamp outlet, nike roshe, polo ralph lauren outlet online, ray ban sunglasses
nike air max, insanity workout, vans outlet, vans, hollister, ghd hair, hollister, bottega veneta, mac cosmetics, new balance shoes, ralph lauren, mcm handbags, oakley, mont blanc pens, nike roshe run, p90x workout, nfl jerseys, babyliss, instyler, toms shoes, wedding dresses, gucci, louboutin, hollister clothing, abercrombie and fitch, north face outlet, soccer jerseys, jimmy choo outlet, lululemon, lancel, celine handbags, herve leger, chi flat iron, asics running shoes, longchamp uk, hermes belt, baseball bats, ferragamo shoes, nike trainers uk, soccer shoes, valentino shoes, timberland boots, reebok outlet, converse, nike air max, ray ban, converse outlet, north face outlet, beats by dre, nike huaraches
Post a Comment