Children of Men and The Painted Veil - definite spoilers

I'm still not sure why I was disappointed in Children of Men. I think I expected a bigger story, longer, more drawn out, more plot twists, something like Brazil? Where I got that idea, I don't know. Of course it was well made and well acted; the bleak futuristic mood was spot on. I always love to see how a person will depict a bleak futuristic story and see how people live in that. Always liked Julianne Moore and more recently Clive Owen. Too bad we couldn't have more time with the Julian character. That was an early disappointment. Michael Caine stole the show, sticking out his teeth and laughing. Loved the hideaway, with all its natural light and a myriad of books and photos.

The Painted Veil made a bigger impression. I don't usually do period pieces (although its time setting wasn't that long ago.) The acting was very good, the setting was stunning, the story line not over the top but very touching and not entirely depressing. There was a time when sad endings did not affect me the way they do now. I could tell from the trailer who would die. However, watching the movie, I did wonder if we would instead see Kitty die, Walter die, or perhaps both. Remember The Sheltering Sky? The Painted Veil was slightly more cheerful. But I find myself needing a happy ending more and more. I attribute this to having children. They need your merriment. I felt a little cheated that they needed alcohol to get back into bed together, but perhaps that's the way it goes. It may seem to some that there's an explosion mounting between them that never happens, and that comes from seeing too many movies with that kind of climax. But this one's a good movie for repeat viewings. Watts and Norton show a subtlety in their grief and anger that gives good reason to see it again. I'd like to own this movie. I came home thinking that people deserve to be "a little less unhappy," as Kitty says to Walter. And isn't a sad movie a better reminder of that than a typically cheery one?

Comments

[Arron Kuhn]

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