Labour day
I was very delighted to be in the room full of reviewers to watch the preview of labour day with my husband .Extremely thankful for the mumsneters for giving this wonderful opportunity .
After dropping off my 4 year old to a friend who kindly offered child minding for the evening( with a trade in to do the nursery pick up for their children for 2 days next week)we rushed off to the venue in our lexus.(as usual we were rushing). I have been running the whole week like a head less chicken, so this invite to watch the preview was an oasis midst a busy week.
Synopsis:So here goes the synopsis of this moving drama of love and loss. It's a sun-dappled romantic fantasy of a lonely, depressed single mother (Kate winslet) and the mystery man (Josh Brolin) who not only sweeps her off her feet, but voluntarily sweeps her floor.Tolsteys Anna Kareneina starts with a saying every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, same way this movie brings to life every woman's unhappy loss/ separation are unhappy in their own way .
Adele is a lonely reclusive single mother raising her 13 year old son Henry in a small run down house in a small town.Adele and Henry meets the tall dark and dangerous stranger Frank in a shopping trip who approaches them( actually insists them) for a ride.Three of them goes to Adele's home to give Frank a place to hide out until nightfall, but he ends up staying there for four days as it turns out he is not that dangerous after all and easily slips into the role of father figure, handy man and a lover for the lonely Adele.when police comes to arrest him he lovingly tie Adele and Henry to chair so they could tell authorities truthfully that they were held a captive .
I could not stop wearing me my shrink hat here as many a times it reminds me of the Stockholm syndrome , which is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and positive feeling towards their captors.
Actors and acting:We were taken in by the lead pairs brilliant acting and effortless chemistry.Certain scenes resonated with me, especially when Adele cries for her lost children, 2 miscarriages and a still birth. Kate Winslets brilliant acting reminds me of the time when I lost my first child to miscarriage and I shed few tears in her/ his memory .The actors play their part brilliantly.Frank and Adele may not be role models but they are enormously engaging friends for the thirteen year old Henry.
Director:Reitman keeps a strong grip on all the aspects of the story to prevent it from becoming corny, unduly melodramatic or obvious.There's a certain elegant simplicity to the movie's execution that maintains a spirit of familiarity but also keeps the material afloat.
Why should you watch:
Labor Day is an admittedly strange hybrid. Rarely have I seen such outrageous plot executed with such lovely grace.It resonates with delicacy, passion and restraint, touching the heart in places where cynics fear to go.
A critiques view:
If you are looking for an entertaining family movie to watch at an end of a busy day labour day is definitely not for you as it is emotionally laden and has some creepy turns.Its bit a huge stride for a single mom with a teenager to fall in love with a convicted murderer who she has known for just four days , she also decides to cross borders with her son to spend a life long journey of commitment and love with the man who came to take them up for hostage( ? Profound effect of Stockholm syndrome ).but any way that's the realist in me who always take romance with a healthy side of reality.
