Survival

This weekend brought 2 more Golden Globe-nominated, Oscar-hopeful movies. When I was thinking about blogging about these 2 movies together, their common thread dawned on me: survival - in 2 very different ways. The movies also have stellar performances and a real grittiness in common.

Friday night found my husband and I at the Arbor and as ready as we would ever be to see 127 Hours. While it was nice to be in a mostly empty theatre for a change, there were 2 LOUD women over my left shoulder. Listen, I gasped out loud a time or two and my husband and I whisper to each other, but this was like prolonged exclamations and repetitive conversations. If only I could have raised an order flag to alert my server. Alas...

Anyways - 127 Hours chronicles the 127 hours hiker Aron Ralston spent with his hand trapped between a boulder and a canyon wall in Bluejohn Canyon in Utah. I actually saw him on Letterman shortly after his ordeal, so I was really intrigued that they were making a movie about it. I was even more intrigued when I learned Danny Boyle was directing it. So basically Aron spends his weekends hiking and climbing and this particular weekend (seemingly due to his own sense of invincibility) did not let anyone know where he was going. Cut to mid-day Saturday and he is at the bottom of a canyon with his hand stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place (also the name of his book). If you don't know how this story ends - SPOILER ALERT. After some minor hallucinations and struggling to free his hand from the rock, Ralston decides to take fate into his own hands and frees himself - by cutting his arm off a few inches below the elbow. He then wanders for about 8 more hours, rappels down a cliff (WITH ONE ARM!), and is rescued by a Swedish family.

I heard this movie described as basically an acting master class by James Franco. This description is dead-on. He commits to this carefree character and really spirals into the depression, grief, and mania that this man went through. One particularly interesting scene is when Aron is interviewing himself as if on a radio show for hikers, Franco captures both charm and disdain in this exchange with himself. But even outside of Franco's performance, the movie is exceptionally crafted with an uplifting score by A.R. Rahman. Yes, the amputation scene is gruesome, but you get a really cathartic ending that is made all the better by the fact that this a true tale of survival and really coming out on the other side. He chose physiological survival and gained his life back.

On Saturday we finally watched our Netflix movie - Winter's Bone. This story is set in the backwoods of the Ozarks and follows Ree Dolly. Ree is a 17-year-old who is primarily responsible for her younger brother and sister and her mother that has been pushed psychologically over-the-edge. The family barely has enough to make it day-to-day anyways, but then a police officer informs Ree that her crank-cooking father has put up their land and house for his bond and they lose it if he doesn't show up for court the next week. Ree must strike out on her own to track him down. She has to confront his family and rival "families," all the while caring for her own. Jennifer Lawrence (as Ree Dolly) gives a powerful and unapologetic performance in this "country noir" film. I ended up liking the movie although it was a little hard to follow due to the authentic accents and dialects. I also liked seeing the resilience of a teenager and her prevailing love for her family. Ree didn't pity herself or the hand she was dealt and that part of her character pushed her to take care of her family at all costs. Survival again!!

Coming Attractions - I'm hoping to see The Fighter this weekend and we'll finally get a new Netflix movie in the mail - The Kids Are All Right.