“The movie is technically magical realist, but it doesn’t feel very magical, because hanging out with a child 24/7 and cleaning paint off the walls just isn’t magical—at least, not in that way.”
This tees up the question of how any movie could show two such clashing reality experiences together and make coherent story. Whew!
The book relies so much on Mother’s inner dialogue to describe crushing fatigue, her needing and wanting help but not thinking to ask her husband, then when it turned out all she needed to do was ask, there’s a brilliant passage where she isn’t mad at her husband but definitely irritated in his general direction. That’s an incredible amount of plot and conflict happening silently. She could narrate her thoughts, but then there’s the risk audience rejects that as condescending or, like in Lynch’s “Dune”, finding it both condescending and still being baffled as to what’s going on.
“The movie is technically magical realist, but it doesn’t feel very magical, because hanging out with a child 24/7 and cleaning paint off the walls just isn’t magical—at least, not in that way.”
This tees up the question of how any movie could show two such clashing reality experiences together and make coherent story. Whew!
All hail to mothers.
The book relies so much on Mother’s inner dialogue to describe crushing fatigue, her needing and wanting help but not thinking to ask her husband, then when it turned out all she needed to do was ask, there’s a brilliant passage where she isn’t mad at her husband but definitely irritated in his general direction. That’s an incredible amount of plot and conflict happening silently. She could narrate her thoughts, but then there’s the risk audience rejects that as condescending or, like in Lynch’s “Dune”, finding it both condescending and still being baffled as to what’s going on.
I ended up liking the movie more by the end of it. This review clarifies precisely what I couldn’t articulate.
I LOVED the book. Sounds like the movie may not capture the rawness of it. Still looking forward to watching.