SHATTERING TALE OF HOW GRIEF AFFECTS THE LOVED ONES OF THE DECEASED
June 10, 2024
ONE THING THAT WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER IS THAT GRIEF AFFECTS DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT WAYS & THAT COMES ACROSS SO CLEARLY IN SAVI GAVINSON'S BEAUTIFUL FILM. WHEN WE FIRST HEAR RACHEL (SUZANNE CLEMENT) TELL HER LONG-AGO BOYFRIEND, DANIEL (RICHARD GERE) ABOUT THE DEATH OF THEIR SON, ALLEN (TOMAS SAVELLI, WHO IS SEEN ONLY IN FANTASY SCENES CREATED BY DANIEL), WE AUTOMATICALLY FEEL SYMPATHY FOR BOTH OF THEM- ESPECIALLY SINCE SHE HAD JUST TOLD HIM ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF THEIR SON RIGHT BEFORE TELLING HIM ABOUT THIS DEATH, & ALSO TELLING HIM THAT SHE NEVER TOLD HIM THAT SHE WAS PREGNANT BECAUSE SHE KNEW HE NEVER WANTED CHILDREN. ALTHOUGH THIS WOULD SEEM LIKE A PERFECT TIME FOR THEM TO BOND OVER THE DEATH OF THEIR SON, DANIEL BECOMES SO EAGER TO FIND OUT ABOUT INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR SON THAT THEIR MUTUAL GRIEF SEEMS TO TAKE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PATHS. THIS BECOMES APPARENT IN TWO VERY DIFFERENT WAYS. ONE WAY IS WITH THE SCENE WHERE A CLASSMATE OF ALLEN'S NAMED MIKEY (WAYNE BURNS) TELLS DANIEL THAT HE WAS ALLEN'S BEST FRIEND, & THAT ALLEN HAD TWO POUNDS OF MARIJUANA WITH HIM WHEN HE DIED IN THE CAR CRASH & THAT HE NEEDED DANIEL'S HELP IN PAYING THE DEALER. I WISH THAT DANIEL HAD USED THAT MOMENT TO TELL MIKEY THAT HE WOULD TALK TO THE DEALER ABOUT IT. BUT, WHEN ALL HE DOES IS TELL MIKEY THAT HE WILL THINK ABOUT IT, HE SEEMS SO INDIFFERENT TO THE DANGER THAT MIKEY MIGHT BE FACING. AND DANIEL SEEMS EVEN MORE INDIFFERENT WHEN HE FINDS OUT THAT ALLEN HAD WRITTEN AN OBSCENE MESSAGE ABOUT A TEACHER NAMED ALICE (PLAYED BY DIANE KRUGER) ON THE OUTSIDE OF THEIR SCHOOL BUILDING & BIZARRELY CLAIMS THAT THE MESSAGE IS ACTUALLY A "POEM." WHEN DANIEL THEN INSISTS ON SITTING IN ON ALICE'S CLASS, HE SEEMS EVEN MORE INSENSITIVE TO HER. BUT, WHEN DANIEL STARTS TO TALK ABOUT HE NEVER WANTED CHILDREN, WE GET TO SEE WHY DANIEL IS THE WAY HE IS. AND DIRECTOR GAVINSON MAKES THIS SCENE EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE BY FOCUSING ON MR. GERE & ON TWO FEMALE STUDENTS WHO ARE SITTING NEXT TO HIM LISTENING TO HIM & THEN CUTTING TO A SHOT OF THE OTHER STUDENTS WHO ARE LISTENING TO HIM. WE ALSO GET ALICE'S POINT-OF-VIEW IN TWO CRUCIAL SCENES: ONE IS WHEN SHE EXPLAINS TO DANIEL WHY SHE DOESN'T WANT TO GO TO ALLEN'S GRAVE WITH HIM & THEN LATER ON WHEN ALICE RESPONDS TO DANIEL'S UNFAIR ACCUSATION THAT SHE WAS TO BLAME FOR ALLEN'S CAR CRASH. AND THE IMPASSIONED TONE THAT MS. KRUGER USES TO DEFEND ALICE'S POSITION MAKES US ALL REALIZE THAT ALLEN'S OBSESSION WITH ALICE WASN'T JUST SOME HARMLESS CRUSH. OF COURSE, THE ANGRY TONE THAT MR. GERE USES IN THIS SCENE ALSO MAKES US UNDERSTAND DANIEL'S POINT-OF-VIEW- AS DELUSIONAL AS IT IS. AND, WHEN MR. GERE LATER USES AN EXTREMELY PLEADING TONE IN THE SCENE BETWEEN DANIEL & THE PARENTS OF LILLIAN (JESSICA CLEMENT), WE GET A REAL SENSE OF HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR DANIEL TO GET THEM TO SEE THINGS HIS WAY- & HOW HEART-BREAKING IT IS FOR DANIEL WHEN THEY REFUSE TO GO ALONG WITH HIM. I HAVE THOUGHT THAT MR. GERE WAS A VERY DYNAMIC & MAGNETIC ACTOR SINCE I FIRST SAW HIM IN "LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR" WHEN IT WAS FIRST RELEASED, & I FELT THAT WAY EVEN MORE AFTER SEEING HIM IN "BLOOD BROTHERS," "DAYS OF HEAVEN," & "YANKS" & IN THE ORIGINAL PRODUCTION OF "BENT." I HAVE ALWAYS WISHED THAT He WAS BEING CAST IN MORE FILMS & I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT HIS EXCLUSION OF HIM IN MAINSTREAM HOLLYWOOD FILMS WAS DUE TO HIAS BRAVE DENUNCIATION OF DENG XIAO PING AT AN OSCAR CEREMONY. I AM SO GLAD THAT SAVI GAVINSION & THE CANADIAN & ISRAELI PRODUCERS WHO MADE "LONGING" AREN'T INTERESTED IN CATERING TO THE CHINESE COMMUNIST DICTATORS!
