Happening

Another highly acclaimed film that I was unable to see at Sundance this year was Happening but it is now playing at the Broadway so I had the opportunity last night.  It is incredibly timely, given what is happening with Roe v. Wade in this country right now, and very powerful.  Anne (Anamaria Vartolomei) is a bright and talented university student in France in the early 1960s.  Her parents are working class owners of a cafe who have sacrificed much to enable her to go to school and they are justifiably proud of her accomplishments.  When she learns that she is unexpectedly pregnant, she sees her promising future slipping away.  However, she doesn't have many options because abortion is illegal.  She tries to persuade several people, including two different doctors, to help her get one but they all fear the possibility of prison and refuse to even speak about it.  Exams are looming and she becomes more and more desperate so, despite the pain, she attempts to terminate the pregnancy herself with a knitting needle but is unsuccessful.  Eventually, she finds someone willing to perform an abortion in secret but is forced to sell most of her possessions to pay for it and suffers devastating consequences.  The fact that Anne is not able to get a safe abortion is appalling, in my opinion, but I also found the shaming that she endures from the other girls in her dormitory for being sexually active to be just as deplorable.  There is a very poignant scene where one of Anne's friends confesses that she had a relationship over the summer and the only reason she didn't get pregnant is because she is luckier than Anne.  Vartolomei gives an affecting central performance in which Anne's despair is palpable.  The scenes involving Anne's two attempts at an abortion are quite visceral and very difficult to watch but there is another scene where she cries silently that is absolutely gut-wrenching.  This film is set in the 1960s but it may as well be today, which is a terrifying thought, and for that reason it should be seen by everyone.

Memoria

I finally had the chance to see Memoria last night at the Broadway (it seems like I have been waiting forever for it to get a wide release) and, while I sometimes found it to be incomprehensible, I was absolutely mesmerized.  Jessica (Tilda Swinton), a Scottish orchid farmer living in Colombia, is awakened one night by a mysterious booming sound that only she can hear.  She continues to be plagued by the sound, which prevents her from sleeping, as she wanders aimlessly from place to place interacting with strangers.  She seems to be an outsider everywhere she goes but she absorbs the energy of every place and ultimately has a strange connection to the memories of others as she tries to find the source of the sound.  There is an explanation, of sorts, but it is almost unimportant because the real discovery is the connection between everyone and everything.  Not a lot happens and I sometimes found the lack of a narrative structure to be frustrating, especially with the long takes of particular images and with the lack of a score, but whenever I stopped trying to figure out what was happening on the screen and just let myself get lost in what Jessica was experiencing I found it to be very haunting and profound.  Swinton gives a captivating performance because, even though you don't know much about her character, she is still able to create a lot of sympathy for Jessica.  Not everyone will enjoy this film (a group was discussing it in the lobby and one thought it was a masterpiece and the rest thought it was the most boring thing they had ever seen) but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it!

Breathless

My May Book of the Month selection was Breathless by Amy McCulloch (the other options were Yerba Buena by Amy LaCour, The Hacienda by Isabel Canas, Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez, and Darling Girl by Liz Michalski). I was hooked by this atmospheric and exciting thriller from the very first chapter and I read well into the early morning hours in order to finish it. Cecily Wong has just landed the interview of a lifetime with world-renowned alpinist Charles McVeigh as he attempts to climb Mt. Manaslu, the last in his quest to summit all fourteen peaks above 26,000 feet in one year. Even though she has limited climbing experience, McVeigh insists that she be a part of his expedition as a condition for granting the interview. Summiting at such a high elevations is extremely dangerous, even for experienced climbers, because of the freezing temperatures, harsh terrain, and lack of oxygen but it becomes even more menacing when two climbers die under mysterious circumstances. Cecily must not only face the elements, and her doubts about her abilities, but also a killer lurking on the mountain and it seems that everyone on her team is a potential suspect. I really enjoy murder mysteries with a closed circle of suspects and this novel takes that concept to new heights (pun intended) because everyone is trapped on the mountain due to the extreme conditions. The tension escalates the higher they climb and I was completely riveted. Cecily is an interesting narrator because she is a novice in the world of high altitude climbing and she is somewhat unreliable when she begins experiencing the effects of hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain). I actually started to question if the deaths were merely accidents or more sinister in nature myself which made the narrative even more suspenseful. It was also fascinating to learn about what it takes to summit a peak that high in elevation, particularly the need for acclimatization and how to scale sheer faces of rock and ice, and McCulloch's vivid descriptions (she actually summited Mt. Manaslu herself) made me feel like I was right there on the mountain with the characters. I even felt a little bit short of breath during several key moments. My only complaint is that the ending is a bit abrupt but, other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed Breathless and I recommend it to fans of thrillers.

Note:  Fans of this novel might also enjoy One By One by Ruth Ware. It has a similar vibe because it is a murder mystery that takes place at a Swiss chalet that is cut off from civilization after an avalanche.

Remembering My Mom

My Mom passed away very peacefully in the early morning hours of May 6 after a long and hard-fought battle with dementia.  This loss is especially difficult for me and my sisters because it comes so soon after losing our Dad but it is actually a blessing because she is now free from the disease that destroyed her mind.

Last night we held a visitation for family and friends and it was such a lovely evening.  My Mom's wish was to be cremated and we were able to find the perfect mother of pearl urn for her.  The flower arrangement we picked out for the display was also really beautiful.

It was nice to see so many family and friends pay tribute to my Mom and support me and my sisters (once again I wish I had taken more pictures).  The consensus was that my Mom was a gentle soul who touched the lives of everyone with whom she came in contact and these kind words were such a comfort to us!

Jesus Christ Superstar at the Eccles

I was able to see the Broadway touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar starring Ted Neeley as Jesus and Corey Glover (lead singer of the band Living Colour) as Judas with my friend Dana several years ago.  The experience of seeing the show was more memorable than the show itself because my friend, who is quite a bit older than me, had a massive crush on Ted Neeley and I was completely starstruck by Corey Glover (I loved Living Colour) so we were both a bit giddy!  Luckily, I had the chance to see it again, this time the 50th Anniversary Tour, at the Eccles Theatre last night and I loved it!  This is a rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.  It tells the story of the Passion of Jesus Christ from the perspective of Judas as he grows dissatisfied with Jesus' popularity and fears that his cult of personality is taking away from his mission to help the less fortunate.  The show features contemporary sensibilities and Jesus is portrayed as a sort of rock star with a guitar and microphone.  This particular production has been completely reimagined with new sets, costumes, and choreography and I literally could not take my eyes off the stage because it is so dynamic!  The set features multi-level steel towers, that look a bit like scaffolding, on either side of a large platform in the shape of a cross.  It is very dramatic!  The costumes are very contemporary and quite subdued (except for King Herod's) in different shades of gray.  The choreography is absolutely amazing and almost seems frenetic with synchronized movement and dazzling light displays.  I especially loved how "Hosanna" incorporates stylized palm leaves and how "The Temple" uses glitter.  The three leads, Aaron LaVigne as Jesus, Omar Lopez-Cepero as Judas, and Jenna Rubah as Mary Magdalene, are outstanding and have beautiful voices.  I particularly enjoyed Rubah's rendition of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" (my favorite song in the show) and LaVigne's version of "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)."  Lopez-Cepero does a very good job in portraying Judas' psychological torment, especially in "Damned For All Eternity/ Blood Money."  I found the whole show to be exhilarating and very moving but it might not be for everyone because "Trial By Pilate/ 39 Lashes" and "Crucifixion" are difficult to watch.  It runs at the Eccles Theatre through May 15 (go here for tickets).