This 2007 film is written and directed by Richard LaGravenese. Richard LaGravenese is a very accomplished romance film writer. His other works include Water for Elephants, The Horse Whisperer, The Mirror Has Two Faces and The Bridges of Madison County to name a few. This film features an all-star cast, including Hillary Swank, Gerard Butler, Harry Connick Jr., Kathy Bates, Lisa Kudrow and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. It was awarded with two international film awards.
In the film, Hillary Swank plays a young widow, Holly, who has just lost her husband to cancer (Gerard Butler). Throughout the year, Holly receives 10 letters from her late husband. He pre-arranged the letters before his passing to help his bride transition through this very difficult time in her life. The letters take Holly on a journey of self-discovery and healing. She is asked to do nice things for herself, remove his things from their apartment, take a trip with friends to Ireland (where her husband is from), try new things, celebrate, connect with family and friends and finally to find love again. Throughout this process, we see Holly's ups and downs. She has several days when she stays in her apartment and does not shower or take care of herself. We see Holly listening to old messages left by her husband, wearing his clothes and carrying around his urn in the beginning. She struggles with relationships with her friends and her mother. We also see her push people away. However, we also see Holly finding what she loves to do, creating a new career and rebuilding relationships.
The film is beautifully romantic. The scenery in the film is stunning. The performances are truly Oscar worthy. Make sure you have your tissues when watching this film. The film is also very therapeutic and can be used to help people understand someone else's grief or process their own.
Issues for Discussion:
Bereavement/Loss of a loved one
Moving forward after a loss
Understanding someone else's grief
Divorce and loss (Holly's mother discusses loss after her husband left her.)
Finding yourself/finding your passion
Relationship issues with family and/or friends
Self-acceptance
End-of-life issues/anticipatory grief
As always, please screen films before using them as a tool for therapy.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Beasts of the Southern Wild is a 2012 film directed by Benh Zeitlin and written by Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin. It was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Motion Picture, Directing (Benh Zeitlin), Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Quvenzhane Wallis), and Best Writing: Screenplay based on Previously Produced or Published Material. The film is based on a play.
In the film, Hushpuppy (Wallis) and her father, Wink, live in a southern bayou prone to flooding that the locals call The Bathtub. Natives of the area have been told that the area is not safe, but the land is their home and they are determined to stay there. Throughout the film, Hushpuppy (6 years old) must face the illness of her father and the fear associated with the land flooding. She previously lost her mother. As the land floods and her father becomes more ill, Hushpuppy believes that she caused the events. She imagines beasts destroying the land and everything around her. She and her family are taken to a local shelter and her father realizes that he is dying. He tries to send Hushpuppy with his friends, but Hushpuppy doesn't understand. The locals take Hushpuppy and Wink home to allow him to die there. Hushpuppy travels to a lighthouse light that she sometimes thinks is her mother communicating with her. When she is there, she finds a similar reality to what she had at home. When she returns, she again imagines the beasts, but this time, she is not afraid. She stands up to them and goes inside to take care of her father. At the end, you can see Hushpuppy walking with her father's friends triumphantly as she honors her father.
Issues for discussion:
End of Life Issues (Wink's struggle and death)
Coming of Age (Hushpuppy's journey)
Belonging/Validation (Wink/Hushpuppy and the community's fight to stay on their land; Hushpuppy finds new support)
Alcoholism (Wink's alcohol abuse)
Loss (Some of Hushpuppy's animals die in the flood; people move away; Hushpuppy's mother/Wink's wife passed)
Poverty (The community's struggles)
As always, always screen a movie before using it as a tool for therapy.
In the film, Hushpuppy (Wallis) and her father, Wink, live in a southern bayou prone to flooding that the locals call The Bathtub. Natives of the area have been told that the area is not safe, but the land is their home and they are determined to stay there. Throughout the film, Hushpuppy (6 years old) must face the illness of her father and the fear associated with the land flooding. She previously lost her mother. As the land floods and her father becomes more ill, Hushpuppy believes that she caused the events. She imagines beasts destroying the land and everything around her. She and her family are taken to a local shelter and her father realizes that he is dying. He tries to send Hushpuppy with his friends, but Hushpuppy doesn't understand. The locals take Hushpuppy and Wink home to allow him to die there. Hushpuppy travels to a lighthouse light that she sometimes thinks is her mother communicating with her. When she is there, she finds a similar reality to what she had at home. When she returns, she again imagines the beasts, but this time, she is not afraid. She stands up to them and goes inside to take care of her father. At the end, you can see Hushpuppy walking with her father's friends triumphantly as she honors her father.
Issues for discussion:
End of Life Issues (Wink's struggle and death)
Coming of Age (Hushpuppy's journey)
Belonging/Validation (Wink/Hushpuppy and the community's fight to stay on their land; Hushpuppy finds new support)
Alcoholism (Wink's alcohol abuse)
Loss (Some of Hushpuppy's animals die in the flood; people move away; Hushpuppy's mother/Wink's wife passed)
Poverty (The community's struggles)
As always, always screen a movie before using it as a tool for therapy.
Flight
Flight is a 2012 film written by John Gatins and directed by Robert Zemekis. Robert Zemekis also directed Forrest Gump, Jamanji, The Polar Express and Cast Away. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards; Best Writing: Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (John Gatins) and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Denzel Washington).
In the film, the leading character, Whip, is a commercial airline pilot who saves the day by landing a malfunctioned plane. The crash was certain to result in the death of all 102 passenges, but instead, Whip landed the plane and quickly became a hero. Soon thereafter, knowledge surfaces of Whip's condition the day of the crash. He was over the legal alcohol limit and also high on cocaine. Throughout the movie, Whip struggles with issues surrounding alcholism and drug addiction. He meets and helps a herroine addict, Nicole, but continues to struggle with his own issues. When Whip faces a hearing about the crash, despite help from a team of people, he gets drunk the night before. Despite this, it seems that he will exit the hearing without any repercussions if he lies about what happened on the day of the crash. In the moment, Whip knows that he will either face a life based on lies or a life based on truth. He chooses truth even though he is aware that this would mean jail time and a loss of his pilot's license. At the end, he discusses his experiences with fellow inmates and re-unites with his estranged son.
Please be aware that this movie contains brief nudity, drug references and graphic drug abuse scenes. As always, you would need to screen the movie before using it as a therapy tool.
Issues for discussion:
Drug abuse versus sobriety. (Whip's struggles, Nicole's struggles.)
End of life issues. (Whip and Nicole meet a cancer patient while in the hospital.)
The effects of drug use on families (Whip and his estranged family).
Living a lie versus being who you are (Whip's struggles).
The effects of drug use on the abuser (Whip's jail sentence, loss of family; Nicole's living conditions, health).
In the film, the leading character, Whip, is a commercial airline pilot who saves the day by landing a malfunctioned plane. The crash was certain to result in the death of all 102 passenges, but instead, Whip landed the plane and quickly became a hero. Soon thereafter, knowledge surfaces of Whip's condition the day of the crash. He was over the legal alcohol limit and also high on cocaine. Throughout the movie, Whip struggles with issues surrounding alcholism and drug addiction. He meets and helps a herroine addict, Nicole, but continues to struggle with his own issues. When Whip faces a hearing about the crash, despite help from a team of people, he gets drunk the night before. Despite this, it seems that he will exit the hearing without any repercussions if he lies about what happened on the day of the crash. In the moment, Whip knows that he will either face a life based on lies or a life based on truth. He chooses truth even though he is aware that this would mean jail time and a loss of his pilot's license. At the end, he discusses his experiences with fellow inmates and re-unites with his estranged son.
Please be aware that this movie contains brief nudity, drug references and graphic drug abuse scenes. As always, you would need to screen the movie before using it as a therapy tool.
Issues for discussion:
Drug abuse versus sobriety. (Whip's struggles, Nicole's struggles.)
End of life issues. (Whip and Nicole meet a cancer patient while in the hospital.)
The effects of drug use on families (Whip and his estranged family).
Living a lie versus being who you are (Whip's struggles).
The effects of drug use on the abuser (Whip's jail sentence, loss of family; Nicole's living conditions, health).
About Therapeutic Films
Have you ever been brought to tears by a movie? Have movies made you happy or laugh out loud? Many emotions can be evoked while watching films, because we often identify with the characters or their circumstances. Because of this, movies can be a powerful tool for therapy. This website will seek to review films for their content as it relates to human experiences. The website will also seek to explore the field of Film Therapy. Please leave comments as we examine Therapeutic Films.
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