dancopp

I had been thinking about the apparent tragedy of our misguided invasion of Iraq and had at least tentatively concluded that much of the problem was the hubris of our President and certain members of his cabinet: the conviction that American might and force of will can solve the most intractable international crises. I wondered if this prideful arrogance had its origin in elite boarding schools, Yale University, and, yes, a certain secret society that cradled W and other recent political eminences. Then I saw The Good Shepherd, which, of course, with the CIA standing in for the executive branch, reinforces that view. General Sullivan (Robert De Niro) warns us about the arrogance and ignorance of unchecked power, those who come to believe that they have god-like qualities, "there's no "the" preceding god." Edward Wilson is the stand in for all of us: we're sheep, too often following a rogue shepherd.

Yes, the acting is superb, both the leads: the footloose, free-spirit Isa and the angry and erratic Marie. Also the supporting cast: the fat-boy bouncer and the rich-boy cad.

What's available to young women cast out of the nest? How does one survive the winters as a homeless person in the northern France? Mind-numbing factory work is available. But where to live, and how to find the community that homo sapiens need to be mentally healthy? We learn what it takes to survive. Isa has great resources; she's an extrovert and has a genuine concern for others. She finds community with a most unlikely person. Poor Marie, wanly beautiful, is withdrawn and suspicious; one must intrude forcibly to get beyond her defenses. And yet she's careless. So faced with the same chances, one woman finds psychic sustenance while the other stumbles into despair.

It's rare for me to see a movie and feel like I know the characters as friends or relatives, that I live among them. Little Miss Sunshine is one of those rarities. I was particularly impressed by the reality portrayed by Toni Collette as Sheryl, the mother who keeps the dysfunctional family from total destruction. She's an archetype we all know and love: a mother earth without whom families would not exist. Everyone else is along for the wonderfully-scripted, screwball comic ride: the desperate, fumbling father seeking to lead, the tormented son, the fantasizing daughter, the zany-cum-senile grandfather, and the chronically depressed uncle. We learn to love each of them as the family finds coherence and truth.