Elizabethtown
Director: Cameron Crowe
Cast: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon, Jessica Biel, Alec Baldwin
An aspiring, young shoe designer, Drew Baylor, (Orlando Bloom) gets fired from his high-profile job after the failure of his latest shoe design. To make matters worse, his girlfriend, Ellen (Jessica Biel), breaks up with him and his horrible day is complete when his sister calls to tell Drew the news of his father's death. As he journeys back to his Kentucky hometown to bring his father home, Drew meets the lovely Claire (Kirsten Dunst), a beautiful and vivacious flight attendant, who helps Drew embrace the joy in life once again.
Grief is a powerful theme in this movie and nowhere is it illustrated more perfectly than in the character of Drew, himself. While there are moments during the film when Drew attempts to express his emotions, his character comes off as stilted and awkward...like he is going through the motions of grief (taking care of his Mom, doing his duty as the eldest son by bringing his father home and offering condolences to his father’s family, etc.) but there is a detached, almost apathetic coldness to how Drew interacts with his estranged family that makes this reunion almost uncomfortable to witness.
The perfect irony is, that while Drew cannot express or acknowledge the pain of his father’s death with his family, he does allow himself to feel a truly heartfelt grief and vulnerability when he is with Claire. She is the first person that Drew connects with on his journey, who allows him to truly recognize and experience the pain of his father’s passing and come to terms with that heartache. I think Claire’s gentle presence allows Drew to really connect with his father for the first time in his life, as a son. During their conversation on the phone, he confesses to Claire that his father has died, and it is the first time he acknowledges his male parent as “Dad” rather than “Mitchell”. He starts having flashbacks of childhood memories he shared with his Dad. It is also Claire who creates a unique map for Drew to follow on his journey home… “to help him get lost in the deep and beautiful melancholy of his grief,” as she says. I think Claire purpose for sending Drew on his journey is that while one goes through the motions of grieving when they are in the presence of others, the truth is, grief is a long journey that one must ultimately face alone. And as releases his father's ashes to the wind, and journeys down this lonely road towards healing, Drew must face the choice whether to bury himself in a sea of anguish forever…or find joy again in love with Claire.
It has been a minute since I last watched this film, and now, watching it through the eyes of an adult who has experienced the loss of a parent myself, I found myself truly empathizing with Drew as he went on his journey through grief. I understood his pain and his reluctance in allowing others to see that pain, because like Drew, my grief only started healing once I was on my journey alone. You have to take that leap of faith first, and allow yourself to truly feel the "deep and beautiful melancholy of grief", as Claire so beautifully put it, before you can know joy again. The casting for this film is good. I think its the first film I have seen Orlando Bloom in where I did not feel I was just looking at Legolas with brown hair. lol And Kirsten Dunst is a truly unique character in this story, as she helps Drew find his way. She's not afraid to shine in her own uniqueness. I would recommend this film.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Cameron Crowe
Cast: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon, Jessica Biel, Alec Baldwin
An aspiring, young shoe designer, Drew Baylor, (Orlando Bloom) gets fired from his high-profile job after the failure of his latest shoe design. To make matters worse, his girlfriend, Ellen (Jessica Biel), breaks up with him and his horrible day is complete when his sister calls to tell Drew the news of his father's death. As he journeys back to his Kentucky hometown to bring his father home, Drew meets the lovely Claire (Kirsten Dunst), a beautiful and vivacious flight attendant, who helps Drew embrace the joy in life once again.
Grief is a powerful theme in this movie and nowhere is it illustrated more perfectly than in the character of Drew, himself. While there are moments during the film when Drew attempts to express his emotions, his character comes off as stilted and awkward...like he is going through the motions of grief (taking care of his Mom, doing his duty as the eldest son by bringing his father home and offering condolences to his father’s family, etc.) but there is a detached, almost apathetic coldness to how Drew interacts with his estranged family that makes this reunion almost uncomfortable to witness.
The perfect irony is, that while Drew cannot express or acknowledge the pain of his father’s death with his family, he does allow himself to feel a truly heartfelt grief and vulnerability when he is with Claire. She is the first person that Drew connects with on his journey, who allows him to truly recognize and experience the pain of his father’s passing and come to terms with that heartache. I think Claire’s gentle presence allows Drew to really connect with his father for the first time in his life, as a son. During their conversation on the phone, he confesses to Claire that his father has died, and it is the first time he acknowledges his male parent as “Dad” rather than “Mitchell”. He starts having flashbacks of childhood memories he shared with his Dad. It is also Claire who creates a unique map for Drew to follow on his journey home… “to help him get lost in the deep and beautiful melancholy of his grief,” as she says. I think Claire purpose for sending Drew on his journey is that while one goes through the motions of grieving when they are in the presence of others, the truth is, grief is a long journey that one must ultimately face alone. And as releases his father's ashes to the wind, and journeys down this lonely road towards healing, Drew must face the choice whether to bury himself in a sea of anguish forever…or find joy again in love with Claire.
It has been a minute since I last watched this film, and now, watching it through the eyes of an adult who has experienced the loss of a parent myself, I found myself truly empathizing with Drew as he went on his journey through grief. I understood his pain and his reluctance in allowing others to see that pain, because like Drew, my grief only started healing once I was on my journey alone. You have to take that leap of faith first, and allow yourself to truly feel the "deep and beautiful melancholy of grief", as Claire so beautifully put it, before you can know joy again. The casting for this film is good. I think its the first film I have seen Orlando Bloom in where I did not feel I was just looking at Legolas with brown hair. lol And Kirsten Dunst is a truly unique character in this story, as she helps Drew find his way. She's not afraid to shine in her own uniqueness. I would recommend this film.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.