For this summer season, I am going to go back to old movies. The quarantine left many looking for new content, I, on the other hand, went back and wanted to re-watch some movies that I was fond of but never got around to seeing again. A story can be very different if you grow up, if you experience life, if you are no longer just looking for a "happy ending" but for the story that leads there. I decided to talk a bit about all those movies that I re-watched during the quarantine, and will keep on watching this summer. Yes, it is good to have new content to watch, but certain films really merit another look.
Frances (
Diane Lane) takes a trip to sunny Tuscany some weeks after her divorce, in order to find inspiration to move on with her life. She realizes that she cannot go back home and settles on buying a run down property that she spends quite some time renovating. While the odds seems to be stacking up against her, in reality, she does achieve that fresh start that her life desperately needed, and finds a much better life, one she would not have sought out, hadn't her previous one fallen apart.
I find that this movie is wonderful for teaching the viewer three very simple lessons. First, you can start all over anytime in your life. You do have to reach rock bottom sometimes in order to get it together, but there is no age limit on having a fresh new beginning.
Second, keeping your eye on the price might result in you not noticing the things that really count. I do believe my favorite scene in the movie is when Martini (Vincent Riotta) takes France's hand and shows her how every little thing she dreamed of came true, even if it did not happen the way she thought it would in the beginning. I love those moments, when you sit down, look around and appreciate what you really have. Sometimes we do need a great friend to help us see all the good that we achieved. I do believe that this is a lesson we all have to learn on our own terms, And finally three, the only person who can save you is yourself. Again, it is okay to go through hard times, but as long as you are willing to help yourself get back on your feet, you will be OK. When you watch this as a child, all you really see is a woman looking for love in Italy. Watching it now, it resonates with you how hard it must have been to make all those, seemingly terrible, decisions in order to start over. And I do believe that divorce is tricky, because many times you are left with having to restart without wanting to... you still love the other one, you still want that life with them, but you are left there having to give it up. I find that this movie is not just fun, but really smart and I personally think it teaches great lessons.
Watch it? I highly recommend it. This movie (like 95% of movies out there) are based on a book, one that tells a real story, nonetheless. I am actually planning to read it as I want to see how this story was adapted, and to read it from the hands of the author whose story this was. Not to mention that the movie really took its time to cast Italian actors, have authentic conversations and shoot the film on location rather than a stupid green screen. It is really a great story!
Until the next item on my list!
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