Who
doesn’t love Winnie the Pooh? Wait, that was a rhetorical question, because I’m
sure that somewhere there is a crusty curmudgeon who doesn’t. Poor soul. But
what most people don’t understand is the way the beloved bear made his way into
the hearts of so many people around the world. And would you believe that, in
part, World War I is responsible? And class struggles, and unhealthy family
dynamics? And PTSD?
Would
you believe that the happiness that Christopher Robin and Pooh brought to the
world created so much unhappiness for the Milne family?
Grab your jar of honey and prepare to be
entertained by Fox Searchlight Pictures new release Goodbye Christopher Robin”, but be aware, Eeyore’s sadness is very
present throughout this film.
A press
release states:
GOODBYE
CHRISTOPHER ROBIN gives a rare glimpse into the relationship between beloved
children's author A. A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) and his son Christopher Robin
(Will Tilston), whose toys inspired the magical world of Winnie-the-Pooh.
Along with his mother Daphne (Margot Robbie), and his nanny Olive (Kelly
Macdonald), Christopher Robin and his family are swept up in
the international success of the books; the enchanting
tales bringing hope and comfort to England after the First World War.
But with the eyes of the world on Christopher Robin, what
will the cost be to the family?
I was allowed to
pre-screen the movie (It releases OCT 13th) and was amazed by the
complexity of the story line. It’s fairly simple at first glance: Upper class ‘shallow’ meets WWI; some people
change but others don’t. Men go to war, and return different. PTSD is an ugly
companion that disrupts families, and gradually the close relationship between
mother and child deteriorates while circumstances lead to an improved
relationship between a happy child and his distant father. Thankfully there is
a Nanny to be the constant in the little boy’s life. Out of
the father/son relationship comes a book, from that book comes success and
fame. From that success comes a breaking of the recently restored relationship.
The War to end all wars is followed by another war, with all the pain and
sorrow that war brings.
Goodbye Christopher Robin opens with
shots of beautiful country landscapes, and the hedonistic lifestyle of
England’s upper class. And then the War starts. Well-known playwright A.A.
Milne goes off to war, and returns a changed man. PTSD at its worst. He has
been successful, but war changes him. Instead of writing plays for sheer
entertainment value, he now wants to write about the horrors of war. He wants
answers to the question, “Why do we have wars if nothing changes as a result of
the war?” He wants a sense of purpose. Needs a sense of purpose.
Not-so-understanding
wife Daphne, who seems to have been more inconvenienced by the war, than
bothered by it, doesn’t see things as her husband does. She, as many of us seem
to do, becomes oblivious to evil. As Daphne comments, “Writing against war is
like writing against Wednesdays. Wednesdays are a part of life; if you don’t
like Wednesday stay in bed, but it’s still Wednesday, and if today’s not
Wednesday, Wednesday is coming.”
Milne wants
to write about war, the horrors of war, what it does to nations and to souls,
and he answers the question, “Who wants to read about war?” in a very succinct
way: “anyone who doesn’t want it to happen again.”
We all have
expectations and hopes, and many of them are false. We look to the wrong things
to make us happy, and are surprised when we’re not any happier than we were
before.
And the film
is full of teaching moments…things like how PTSD affects the whole family, or a
lesson on the restorative power of looking at truth and the world through the
eyes of a child. And how success can be overwhelming, and just like other
things that are supposed to bring happiness, it can often bring heartbreak. And
of course the fact that we all need to feel loved.
There were
some quotes I thought might fit in this review, but taken out of the context of
the film, they are nowhere near as powerful as they otherwise are. So you’ll
just have to watch the film to glean this snippets of wisdom.
This story is
a wonderful reminder of how plans sometimes backfire, and success can tear
things apart. It’s a story of the aftermath of war, a picture of broken and restored
relationships, and a call to learn to love others as they want or need to be
loved, not necessarily as we think they should want to be loved.
Thanks to my friends at Grace Hill Media for the opportunity to screen this film.
watch the trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxCEXQr1X7g&authuser=0 , and be sure to see the film in theaters when it releases soon.
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