Photos Courtesy of IMDb
[Spoilers Ahead]
We’re all friends here right? And friends don’t normally make other friends cry.
Well, today I am going to make you cry. Not right away, but once you see these movies you will!
I have been seeing quite a few movies lately and many of them have been wonderful. I saw Gladiator II and Wicked, Conclave and The Wild Robot, but the two movies I am talking about today I can honestly say have changed my life. They are both movies that make you understand how precious life is and the importance of every moment lived.
These movies are both phenomenal and are deserving of their own moments. I could have easily written about them separately because I have so much to say about each of them. However, I wanted to write about them together because they both have a similar message about the importance and precious nature of life. I won’t say you’re wrong if you call me crazy for seeing similarities between the two films, but hear me out!
The two movies are: Memoir of a Snail and We Live in Time. I previously wrote about We Live in Time as a recommended movie to watch and now after seeing the movie, I am pleased to say that it met expectations (I might even dare to say it exceeded them). On the other hand, I went into Memoir of a Snail slightly blind, but coming out of the movie I instantly wanted to watch it again and share it with every person I know. It’s gut-wrenching, but I think everyone deserves to see the brilliance of the story.
Here is what I loved about both of these movies:
Memoir of a Snail
Memoir of a Snail is about Grace, an Aussie girl, recounting her life and how she came to be alone. She wasn’t always alone though, in fact she came into the world with a twin brother, Gilbert, who is the other half that makes her whole. Grace’s life is riddled with trials and tribulations and we see as snails represent her wanting to bury herself into a shell to protect herself and also the tie back to her family and the people who make her remember that she exists in this world.
Grace and Gilbert are separated after the tragic passing of their father that leaves them orphaned (their mother passing earlier during childbirth). Their separation places them both into foster homes with families that further drive them both into their own loneliness. Grace eventually meets Pinky, an older eccentric woman who becomes Grace’s mentor and a guiding force that keeps her afloat. Pinky also has a tragic life, losing two husbands and living alone in the same town as Grace. However, unlike Grace, she sees life as an adventure. She is admired for her life well-lived and constant optimism.
What I loved about this film is the characters. Grace’s shy and, at times, insecure demeanor is due to the loss she has gone through in her life. She is a reminder that behind every person we encounter there is a deeper history behind who they are. With her family she is loved and adored, but when that is taken away she loses a sense of herself. Throughout the film, I couldn’t help but want to give Grace a hug. The light of her character is what makes this movie bearable. At a point you think to yourself, “This has to be the end of her misfortune.” But despite this you still want to walk alongside Grace and get her through these hard times. She is a tough girl and you know she can overcome what is headed her way, but you want to see her gain the confidence to know how strong she is.
The film can be best described by a line towards the end said by Pinky. She tells Grace that, “The worst cages are the ones we make for ourselves”. As her closest confidant, Pinky can confidently tell Grace that the way she is living is due to her own self-built cage, she needs to break out of that cage and live life.
Listening to her closest friend, Grace musters the strength to do just that. After Pinky’s death she frees herself of her hoarding and takes the leap to join film school to be an animator, something she had dreamed of since she was a child.
For years prior, Grace limited herself because of a hoarding addiction and troubles with her sense of self. The cage she has surrounded herself with she thinks is protecting her, but instead is limiting her. I can relate to Grace in this way. The safe and secure road sometimes has the most appeal to me, change is not something I can say I am good at. However, this security can be a self-imposed cage. There is so much to do and see in the world and this film reminded me that we need to take those leaps of faith by getting out of our cages and comfort zones.
Grace’s ability to listen to Pinky shows how important the people in our lives are. We can’t always see the paths that we are on or how we are living our lives, but by having people around us they can help us to get out of our metaphorical shells.
The movie centers around the idea of what it is to be alone, you can be alone when you are with people, when you isolate yourself, and when there is no one around. Once Grace looks back on her life she can see how her loneliness has impacted her life and she has a decision to make: continue on this path or create a new one.
As told in the movie, snails can’t move backward or go over their own trail. This serves as a reminder to Grace that it’s not about what happened in the past but instead about continuing to move forward.
In the end, we see the beginnings of Grace shedding her shell and becoming who she is meant to be. I’m not sure how I can quite emphasize the importance of this film. I watched it three days ago for the second time to show it to my partner and I am already debating watching it again after I finish writing this.
Okay, the credits are starting, the movie is about to begin … continue your reading about We Live in Time while I watch Memoir of a Snail for the third time this month!
We Live in Time
When it comes to movies, I normally don’t cry until the end of the movie or until I have established a relationship with the characters. We Live in Time broke those chains by getting me, and many others in my theatre, to cry within the first 15 minutes of the film.
We Live in Time is told in a non-linear storyline. We are introduced to the characters in the middle of their relationship and jump between the entirety of their relationship. In the first 15 minutes we get the harrowing news that Almut, played by Florence Pugh, has had a relapse in her cancer diagnosis. This film is full of sorrow because we see a loving couple go through some of life's toughest battles, cancer and fertility issues.
Unfortunately, many people can probably relate to the sentiments that Almut and Tobias, played by Andrew Garfield, go through. If you have ever had someone in your life be diagnosed with cancer you may understand the immense decision of either a slightly prolonged life through a tough road on chemotherapy or opting to not do chemotherapy in order to avoid the strenuous road in what may be your final months of life. Do we fight until the end or do we live until the end?
We see the tug and pull of the characters, each wanting a different path for Almut’s health. Tobias wants her to hold on since he can’t bear the thought of losing his life partner, but Almut wants to live as much life as possible while she can. We see as Almut tries to do both, she goes through chemotherapy and as she is struggling with the side effects of her fight, she is simultaneously pushing herself beyond belief for a cooking competition. Almut ties the cooking competition (referred to as the Olympics for chefs) to a legacy she can leave behind. She wants not only her daughter but the world to have something to remember by. This was one of my biggest takeaways from the film. I spent days thinking of what would be the legacy I left behind. I was left reflecting and thinking, “what am I doing that people would remember me by?”.
It also reminded me how lucky I am to wake up every day and be healthy and for that reason alone I should be seizing my days. Why be a chef when you can be the best chef in the world?
What I love about this movie is that it may be the most realistic love story I have ever seen and that makes it one of the best love stories. However, this is far from a romcom and if you are looking for a love story maybe stick to The Notebook. This film so clearly shows that life's problems can be halved when we have the right person by our side. It also showed a realistic version of love and life. Both characters weren’t on the same page from the start, Tobias was head over heels and Almut was in a place in her life where she was focused on herself and her goals. What we see instead is how they grew together and the love between them in turn deepened. How many movies have shown us love at first sight, but now how many people in your life met their partner because of love at first sight? None, right?
I have always viewed love as date nights and flowers and this is often how it is shown in romance movies. However, as I have gotten older and leaned on my partner through life’s journey, I’ve realized that in my future husband I don’t need someone who is only good for a candlelit dinner, but someone who will get me through my hardest days. While I hate to think about it, one day my family may get sick and eventually pass. When that day comes who can I trust to get me through it and guide me through the dark?
We Live in Time shows exactly that. Tobias and Almut support each other through the good and the bad, they have highs and lows, but despite it all the only thing they want is more time together. Unfortunately, this lifetime does not give them enough time to do everything they want to do. But, do any of us have enough time to do everything we want to? Life is finite and time is fleeting. This movie reminds us of that and screams at us to “GO OUT AND LIVE”.
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