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"Never dreamt. Never thought any such happiness possible, h

One More Option | USA | 08/10/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Life is dangerous. Don't you realize that sometimes there's nothing you can do?"
"That's not true. I think you can always limit the danger."

I had thought I might not write more reviews on this account, but this movie gave me little choice. There are spirits that, for reasons I don't fully understand, I have let in. And I would be unfaithful and unfair to them if I did not discuss this excellent film.

As Vanessa Redgrave's character says: "A new lock? The chances of the same thing happening again? Anyway, well I let him in. It doesn't matter how well you're locked up. At times you're always going to have to let people in." And if you have let someone in, this movie explores the question: How do we best respond to all the people we have let in? And how do our communication patterns potentially affect those people?

You'd think I'd be satiated with art because I have experienced so much of the best of it. But I choose not to refuse great art. I'm always letting in one more beautiful work of art.

"Well, I'll make some tea."

I've never "cautioned" viewers from considering taboo, mature, or violent material. But I will make a strong exception here: If you (or someone watching the film with you) are someone who has experienced a suicide in your family, and if you have not fully faced that circumstance and its endless repercussions, then I urge you to NOT watch this film until you have done extensive counseling. And even then, I caution you. This is not a spoiler, because this plot point is mentioned on the movie's description: There are multiple graphic scenes where a man commits suicide. But even more challenging for victims of suicide's effects is the detailed discussion of the possible rationales and causal factors for the suicide. However, if you are someone who is trying to understand the social and emotional effects of suicide on a family and their social community, this is a worthwhile film.

This movie drew in Britain's top acting talents, including Vanessa Redgrave, Ian Holm, Judy Dench, and a very, very young looking Tom Wilkinson. Vanessa Redgrave is beautiful as always. She has always reminded me of someone I knew. "A good woman - chosen for some reason as the victim of the ultimate practical joke." And Joely Richardson, her daughter, is also captivating playing the same character in her youth. "I think it was more what we shared . . .a feeling for solitude."

The writer/director is so compassionate to every character he created (even the suicidal man, his non-communicative girl friend, & the policeman's girlfriend). There are so many quotable lines in this film, but brevity leads me to omit them. The suicidal man doesn't define key concepts with any complexity, and in my opinion, that is a critical error for him. The hyperbole of his clumsy and overly simplified definitions lead him to terrible misunderstandings.

Watching the young lead character not speak her wishes as her lover goes off to war should break any soldier's spouse's heart, and encourage them to not be silent in similar situations.

"Turns out I was a sub plot. The real story was happening elsewhere."
"Oh that's a terrible feeling."

I worship art and drama because they have taught me things I would not have learned otherwise. The movie suggests that silences and poor communication tend to destroy. Frank communication in times of major decisions can prevent unnecessary harm and loss of life.

"Don't you think we should be sensible?"
"No."

Vanessa Redgrave, after surviving the loss of her fiance, years of living alone, sexual assault, and witnessing a suicide in her home, still finds hope in the end: "For those of us still remaining, us maniacs . . . eccentrics . . . folk who still think education is worthwhile, I suggest we keep trying."

Yes, I suggest we keep trying, sharing the best ideas we encounter. Love always."