Yes, over the holidays I saw the new Star Wars film, The Force
Awakens. And yes, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve read many of the gripes
from über-fans, like the one about how this new flick is derivative, and how it
lacks the mythological profundity with which George Lucas laced his original Star Wars universe. There’s not enough
of Joseph Campbell’s Hero of a Thousand Faces in the J.J. Abrams approach?
Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. I expected from The Force Awakens an entertaining thrill-ride, a sort of
audio-visual theme park attraction, and that’s exactly what I got.
Certainly this film was a lot more fun than a critics’
darling of a movie, like Todd Haynes’ Carol.
Not that I’m opposed to a carefully-crafted drama that broaches thorny
social issues. Not that I’m at all upset by a euphoric depiction of lesbian
love. But Carol, for all of its fine
acting and visual gloss, left me stone-cold. I was deeply moved by an earlier
Todd Haynes film, Far from Heaven,
that looked at similar social issues, once again in the context of the
repressive 1950s. But even with Cate Blanchett and the piquant Rooney Mara in Carol‘s leading roles, I couldn’t warm
to a tale about a wealthy, pampered woman who was being denied what she REALLY
wanted for Christmas.
The end-of-year holidays are a terrific time for binge
moviegoing, especially with family and friends. That’s how I happened, the
night after seeing Star Wars, to go
to my favorite multiplex to watch for the second time one of my favorite 2015
movies, Brooklyn. It is, of course, a
romantic drama about Irish immigration to New York City, starring the young and
talented Saoirse Ronan. To my delight, my husband found himself genuinely moved
by this simply story, which sadly is often labeled a “woman’s picture.” And to
my surprise, Brooklyn and The Force Awakens turn out to have a
great deal in common. Don’t believe me? Read on . . .
.
We all know, by now,
that this is the diversity Star Wars,
with leading heroic roles played by a black man (John Boyega as ex-storm
trooper Finn), a Latino (Oscar Isaac doing an updated Han Solo), and a woman
(Daisy Ridley as the tomboyish Rey). We also know that it’s the nostalgia Star Wars, one that honors its roots by
finding key roles for Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher (now a general as well as a
princess), and Mark Hamill.
I want to concentrate here on Rey. Is she so very different
from Brooklyn’s Eilis Lacey? Both
leave homes that lack what they need to travel to kingdoms far far away. Both
are tempted -- more than once -- by attractive men of very unfamiliar
backgrounds. Both must decide what they want out of life, and both films hinge
on the choices these young women make. Both crave, and deserve, love, but it develops
as they discover their own talents for leadership. Rey learns she’s being
guided by the Force, and I’d like to think Eilis feels some of that too, even
though her great skill lies not in combat so much as in double-entry
bookkeeping.
In one area, they’re profoundly different. Eilis’s evolving
wardrobe indicates her growing maturity and sophistication. Rey, though, wears
the same practical grey outfit throughout. (She even wears it in a childhood
flashback, presumably in a much smaller size.) Eilis also learns to apply
makeup. Surprisingly, Rey wears eye makeup too. She may hail from a small
desert planet, but a movie heroine
wouldn’t be caught dead without her mascara.
A very happy, healthy,
and peaceable New Year to all my readers.
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