Our Souls at Night

An elderly man, sitting alone at a four-person table in his dining area, eats his dinner surrounded by silence, staring at nothing. This quick opening sequence is movie-shorthand for character exposition (the man is a widower--probably for a while now--in an obvious rut, still eating supper at the same time every night, in the same chair, just as he would if his wife were alive), and I feared the worst. Luckily, this script by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, adapting Kent Haruf's novel, proves to be a solid job of writing. Robert Redford plays the widower who no sooner sits down with his newspaper before he gets a surprise visit from down-the-street neighbor and widow Jane Fonda, an acquaintance of his late wife's. She proposes an initially-puzzling proposition: since they are both alone--and lonely, she presumes--and she has a hard time sleeping anyway, why don't they spend their nights together, platonically, in the same bed? It takes Redford a day to consider it, and their first sleepover is awkward, but soon the strangeness wears off and the couple comes to cherish their not-so-secret, non-intimate evenings. Sensitive study of small town lives, old wounds, family problems, loss, greetings and farewells, is tenderly and astutely rendered. This handsomely-shot film for Netflix may be criticized for being too polite, too tasteful, but you come to want the best for these people, even in the midst of life's big and small messes. The dialogue is vivid--amazingly so--and the supporting cast is uniformly excellent. This is the finest effort from either Redford or Fonda in many years; together, they provide a lovely duet.

Don't agree with the 1-star reviewer. It's a beautiful film, with 2 great actors acting their AGE. No doddering, just honest raw emotion. The initial premise seemed odd, but after getting caught up in the storyline-I loved it! It's just a simple beautiful story. Like real life, no "hollywood" ending. Just real life.

This movie is a long way from Barefoot in the Park, made in 1967, when Robert Redford and Jane Fonda were both 30. Now 80 they play two regular folk, Addie and Louis, who live alone in a small town and decide to spend their nights together to ease their loneliness. As Fonda put it, nights are the worst. The two had only known each other as acquaintances. So, when Addie knocks on his door with the proposal that the two sleep together, without sex, Louis is totally confounded but not scandalized. What I found interesting is how these 1960's sex symbols seemed to fit into these roles so naturally. The movie is slow and it takes a while for the two to get into the groove of being sleeping partners; however, it does pick up when Fonda's grandson comes into their lives. These 80 year olds take on all the energy and dedication of first time parents. The townsfolk were standoffish when they first found out about them but Addie was not bothered about gossip. Louis also adjusted to it. So what happens to spoil this bliss? Without giving it away, both Addie and Louis have acquired some baggage with their own grown children. They are able to face their own lives with a certain wisdom and honesty. The fact that these two actors, Fonda and Redford, can come together and star in a movie that breaks stereotypes is a positive note. It is refreshing to see a movie that treats older people as a loving, energetic couple. Thumbs up!

I watched this movie in MAMI, year round program film screening. I had also got opportunity to interact with director of the film - Ritesh Batra. He is called as cinematic tinder of common man, because he brings romance into lives of characters that have faced struggle and challenges in life.

It is a beautiful story of old aged woman and man who were living alone for years after their spouses have died. They break silence and start sleeping over same bed only to escape loneliness. Both of them continue talking and gossiping about their past lives, happy moments as well as regrets. Their children have grown up and are living their own independent life. Film is an emotional drama, warmth in relationships, and shows sense of human life in dialogues. It explores psyche of old age through their responses to life circumstances. Film end up teaching many life lessons through these characters. Addie regrets that she has spent years thinking what people would be talking about her.

Film is adapted from the novel of same name by Kent Haruf, who died just few weeks after publishing his last novel.

The source of interest was, for me, the presence in cast of Jane Fonda and Robert Redford as a sort of return to old cinema, more full of wisdom, serenity and real good job of actors, out of ambitions of blockbuster and a lot of special effects.

But the film proposes more than nice flavors of late time.

From the eccentric, only at the first sight, proposition of Addie, to the life of comunity, marriage crisis and death of child, relation with children, new chance and a call in night , confessions, memories, reactions of others, it is just a comfortable oasis , soft, precise in detail, proposing a sort of romance who is easy to be feel by a generation not so young but far to accept the fall of life.

A delicate poetry and admirable use of silent moments, good cinema and a rare delicacy serving the cause of a sort of friendship between two neighbors , not very familiar one with other, but discovering sparkles of life in gentle manner, returning to true love.

A film choosing its public with grace . And a beautiful story.