A Despedida

Do you remember Susan Sarandon in the movie Stepmom with Julia Roberts? After all these years I still tear up during certain scenes. That never happened here. Not even almost! I actually think I dosed off for a minute somewhere in the middle of it. It felt like they just had to fill in some open space just to finally get to the departure. I wouldn't watch it again and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.

'Blackbird' flies high on the strength of his actors to deliver the emotional clout the movie promises. From Susan Sarandon to Kate Winslet to Mia Wasikowska to Sam Neill, there's no denying the cast all deliver on what they are given. Unfortunately, the blandness of the story and the lack of interesting (or the overly-familar tropes of) characters cause a detachment to what should have been an emotionally compelling story. It isn't terrible, it's simply very average to its benefit.

This film is really really powerful. I watched it for the stellar cast, not knowing what it was about. I was already in tears half way through the film. It is very well made as well.

In 1981,in "whose life is it anyway? " ,Richard Dreyfuss ,paralysed after a car crash ,asked for the right to die :as he was in a hospital ,it was not easy .

In Europa, some movies about assisted suicide were made in France ("quelques heures de Printemps" )and in Germany (und Morgen Mittag ,bin ich tot" ) but as it is illegal in both countries, death takes place in Switzerland .

It's easier,so to speak ,for Lily whose husband is a doctor ;she wants to die in dignity and not surrounded by machines ; Susan Sarandon is,as always ,admirable ,and she gets strong support from Sam Neill as her devoted husband .The film is a strong plea for a legitimate choice when there' s only more sufferings in sight ,and who can say he's not concerned with such a harrowing problem?

Kate Winslet and Mia Wasikowska ,on the other hand, are given badly written parts ,the umpteenth version of the sisters at odds with each other, the earnest patronizing one and the unhappy person .And one regrets that there are not more intimate scenes between Lily and Paul ;the very brief scene where he cries in the greenhouse means more to me than the sisters' moanings and whinings .Melodrama often gets in the way of a real tragedy.

But the young generation (good scene of the rapper) and sensitive Lindsay Duncan's Liz make up for it .

Anyway ,it's a courageous movie , which people (with a strong heart) must see.

I like to respect opinions, but for the past years, I've seen a lot of "purists" rating a movie with 1,2,3 stars just because "the original" was better... Sometimes it's a justified oppinion, (The Grudge, for example) but this is starting to be a trend, not an exception.

Personal opinion, for the ones who care: it's a good movie, a somewhat fresh subject and good for spending a Saturday night in front of the TV, wondering what would you do if you where in anyone of the character's shoes.

Cliché? Yes. American take? Yes. Enjoyable? Of course! Let's be honest... How many times did a Shakespeare play (original or adapted) had an opening night? In that case, would you go to the theatre? Yes? No?... Just curious 😏