paumonok

Be prepared for a film that deals with parental dying and death and looks closely at how one family handles the ordeal. Meryl Streep gives one of her most outstanding performances as Kate Gulden, the dying wife of a National Book Award-winning professor of English George Gulden (William Hurt) and uber mother of Ellen (Renee Zellweger) and Brian (Tom Everett Scott). The story is from the viewpoint of Ellen, who must bear the brunt of caring for her mother (and father) while coming to terms with the father she once adored.

Renee Zellweger gives a great performance as the ambitious magazine writer torn between her desire to advance her career, and her father's need for her to care for her mother as her death approaches. William Hurt does a great job playing the self-absorbed academic who tries to keep his life going as smoothly as when his wife was well.

This movie offers an very real portrayal of the forces and dynamics that shape the relationships of a family and community during a time of hardship and ending. I highly recommend this film.

Having come from a similar background to the main character, Sonia Horowitz, I was able to empathize with her plight. Although there is much to be admired in the world of Orthodox Judaism, and Hasidism in particular, it is a community with a narrow, ethnocentric perspective with little latitude for behavior outside the philosophical norm. Many in the community who strive to exceed the acceptable boundaries find themselves isolated and ostracized for their non-conformal attitude. Sonia's journey, though not typical, had some of the elements I have personally experienced.

I must note, however, that the sexual intercourse scene between Sonia and Mendel, where they perform the act fully clothed, is not technically correct. Jewish law actually expects that the couple be completely unclothed. It places the burden upon the husband to satisfy his wife to the best of his ability. I realize to what purpose the scene was done the way it was, but it incorrectly portrayed a very private and sacred part of Jewish life.

I was deeply affected by this independent film targeted to a fairly limited audience. Renee Zellweger, a Catholic/Episcopalian Texas native, turned in a remarkable performance, and got many of the nuances right, as did many of the other performers.