Monday, May 2, 2016

A Brief Movie Review: Unfinished Song



We recently watched the 2012 film, Unfinished Song, written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams, starring
Terence Stamp as Arthur and Vanessa Redgrave as Marion.

   Marion is dying of cancer and wants to live life to the fullest by singing in a senior’s community choir. Her husband, Arthur, comes across as a curmudgeon, not at all supportive of Marion’s passion for music.
   However, after Marion dies, Arthur, to honour Marion and process his grief, joins the choir.
   Arthur and his son James are alienated from one another. Eventually, through Arthur’s involvement with the choir, they are reconciled.
   One of the brilliant, thought-provoking lines in the movie, spoken by Marion is: “What makes a song beautiful is not always the quality of the voice but the distance that voice has had to travel.”

   I appreciated this film because it is, simultaneously: a love story, a spiritually edifying tale of marital and family dynamics and relationships, confession, forgiveness and reconciliation, a realistic portrayal of death and grief, the joy and healing potential of music, and the significant contribution that seniors make to society. This film should be of interest to seniors and those who care for them.      

2 comments:

Gene Packwood said...

Looks good. Thanks, I'll watch for it.

Dim Lamp said...

I think you'd appreciate it.