Longtime Companion (1990)

***SPOILER ALERT***

I first saw this movie right after it came out. I was a college student, & my roommate & I had gone to the "art" theater to see it. I don't really remember much about the movie from back then. But I clearly remember that I spent 10 to 15 minutes sobbing in the ladies room after the movie was over.

One of my uncles, whom I was very fond of, died of AIDS in the mid-80's. I wasn't allowed to visit him & I didn't go to the funeral, so I never really felt any closure after he died. This movie brought everything to the surface for me. I cried for my uncle Brian, & for not being able to tell him goodbye.

I've never forgotten the grief that I felt because of this film. Now, almost 20 years later, I wanted to see this movie again, to see what exactly had triggered such a deep reaction.

It was definitely the ending when all of the friends who had died come back in a sort of fantasy beach reunion. What's so sad is that you want so badly to see them just one more time, to tell them that you love them & that you miss them. But it's just not possible. & for that, I cried again.

Longtime Companion on IMDb

House of Sand (Brazil, 2005)

What an exasperating movie! After her husband drags her to the middle of nowhere & then promptly dies, a woman is trapped in the deserts of Brazil, waiting for her chance to escape. With very little dialog & very little to move the film along, I found myself desperate to escape as well. Perhaps the film maker used this technique to make the viewer squirm. If so, he surely succeeded.

House of Sand on IMDb

Henry Fool (1997)

Funny, quirky snapshot of a small-town community. Everyone has some sort of disfunctionality. Great character development. Fun for the whole family. There was a dumb & dumber bathroom scene, but if you can overlook that, it's a great film.

This film was released in 1997, at the beginning of the internet "explosion". They make references to the internet that seem quaint now. Funny how quickly things change.

Henry Fool on IMDb

Lousiana Story (1948)

I was hoping to get a better connection to my roots with this film, since my mother's side of the family are New Orleans cajuns. The movie is registered as a national treasure & was nominated for an Oscar, though it didn't win. I suppose that's all because of its unique look at the cajun life, & possibly the cinematography. The story was secondary to the imagery & the camera angles.

Lousiana Story on IMDb

The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)

This movie is utter chaos. Family members die & no one seems to care. Brother & sister have sex all day long. Sister gets raped & is still pining for the boy who did it. Brother likes kissing a toothless woman. WTF? At least this movie was made when Rob Lowe was still cute.

www.imdb.com