This review may contain spoilers
Are choices really choices.
This movie deserves a 10 because it is not only beautifully executed, but the story is complex enough to warrant way more than a single viewer perspective. Most reviews touch upon the juxtaposition of the FL’s non-conformism with the compromises of her peers and former friends. And that is striking, especially on the backdrop of such a conservative society. Her condition causes her only to “go gray prematurely” but that is unlikely. Premature graying is usually associated with stress. Either psychological or physiological, and stress wreaks havoc on the body. It might not be her choice, she might need to take things slow and tread lightly not to pay the ultimate price. Through that lens, her non-confrontational nature might not exactly be her second nature. And the drama raises the question of whether she can prosteticize with her friends who go to extraordinary lengths to provide for themselves and their families, can she be a benefactor of that while she doesn't participate in the grueling routines and personality-undermining decisions? All the while we are shown her friends are exhausted and don't have space to accommodate a freeloader. The movie is about how little space for individual compassion, cooperation, and compromise such a society leaves.Was this review helpful to you?