Housekeeping

I love finding little gems like this. What a find Housekeeping (1987) is. What a watch. This is the second Bill Forsyth film I've watched in recent weeks and I'm completely in awe of both. With storytelling like this it's such a joy to watch. The quirks and eccentricities of the characters add another layer of magic in these stories and go a long way in emphasising that "I don't belong here" element that's was present in this film and also Local Hero (1983).

I'm amazed more people don't know about this one.

great film, but probably the most misrepresentative ad campaign i've ever seen for a movie. this is NOT a comedy. Christine Lahti's Sylvia is NOT a one dimensional free-spirit. she is disturbed, as is the entire family. this translates perfectly from the book, as does the film's look and emotional atmosphere.

as for the opinion that Sylvia is a Pied Piper, that's just wrong. she could care less if anyone follows in her path. it just so happens that her niece is seduced by virtue of what i would interpret as instinct. the family has a long history of breaking from the norm, much to its detriment. the niece is merely fulfilling her filial destiny.

to say that the story presents a polemic about nonconformity shortchanges the viewer from the complexity of emotions that it evokes. there is no argument. this is just the way things turn out for these folks. and in my opinion, the ending leaves us questioning, just as it does in the book, how much control we have over destiny.

I'm biased. I loved this movie. Being Canadian, I identified with the sense of isolation from the world these two women felt. What is wonderful about the story is that Ruthie and Sylvie revel in their isolation; it is exactly what they want. In its way, this is a romance. Two people, each alone, meet and discover one another. I was happy for them.

Years since I saw it in the moviehouse or video. NOT a comedy in the yuk yuk sense. I only wish I could have been on the set to say, "Bill, Focus more on the girls, not the aunt! You did them both so well!" It was just a question of balance in this absorbing movie. Christine Lahti had such a good, strong performance and Forsyth let her take the movie, or at least gave many viewers the idea that her character's the focus. Stunning scenery, wonderful evocation of family and place, and fascinates with its exploration of watery metaphors for our connection to and removal from people. Very faithful in tone to the book (a must-read by marilyn robinson, BTW), which I read after seeing the movie more than once. I wish I could see it on the big screen again.

i own "housekeeping" and have watched it more times than I can remember. (as well as read the equally wonderful book)

my favorite movie-i doubt any could ever take its place.

it is perfect in every way.