The Hours

"The Hours." I must say, I was not expecting the movie to be that good. It really surprised me how invested I got in the story and with the characters. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire movie, wondering whether Laura was going to commit suicide or not, and cried when Richard jumped out of the window. Something I noticed, however, was how prevalent depression was in the movie. Practically all of the main characters had some sort of depression, and watching each of them deal with it was really interesting.

Virginia Woolf, as we all know, committed suicide. That was her way of dealing with her depression. It won, in a way. It was played out in the movie excellently, though. You could really see the signs of depression, the endless fatigue that caused Virginia to be in bed all day, the sudden dislike of things she had previously enjoyed, thoughts of suicide, etc. I have to compliment Nicole Kidman for her acting, because the way she played Woolf made it very clear that this was a woman with so much going on. Even if Woolf was standing still, Kidman stood in such a way as to show what Woolf was feeling, such as being in a slouch. And her eyes were always very, very intense. You could almost see right into Virginia's troubled mind. I felt like I could really see "Mrs. Dalloway" forming in her mind, the flash of insight as new ideas came to mind. It was marvelous.

Anyways, back to the depressing stuff. Laura Brown seems to have overcome the depression, for now. I don't know what she was like before her marriage, but based on her husband's descriptions, I believe that Laura was clinically depressed since at least adolescence. How quiet she was, how shy, yet how her eyes had that same look that Woolf's did; an insane void of thought. From the moment Laura appeared on the screen, I knew something was wrong. She was just...off. She would do things, normal things, say meaningless conversation, and there was always just something else behind it: the depression. We watched Laura struggle with it, and I was so caught up in her storyline as she almost committed suicide. But she didn't let it win. Laura got out of that hotel, and then got of her home. I wonder, though, if she still is depressed. When she comes back to Clarissa after Richard's death, I still see the same look in her eyes and face. It makes me wonder what exactly she did up in Canada. It's like, she overcame her suicidal thoughts, and maybe some of the depression, but I think she's still affected by the illness, even more so now that she's the last living member of the family.

And Richard. Richie Richard. I feel like he might have been like his mother; clinically depressed before he even got sick. But I'm not quite sure. He's not as off as his mother is, it's more subtle. But I can see how his childhood could've led him into a slight depression, especially since his mother had it it makes him more genetically inclined to the illness, and then how the AIDS could really make him depressed. Richard's had a hard life. Artists usually do. And yet, I don't quite know what to make of his suicide. In a way, it's an escape, just like Septimus' suicide. Richard was already dying, he was only staying alive for Clarissa. It was obvious he was in pain, both physical and emotional, and the only time he truly seemed happy to me in that entire movie was when he was sitting on that window sill. It's like he saved himself from pain. He didn't want to succumb to the disease. I think Richard wanted control of his own life. I mean, when your own body betrays you then you can really feel like you have no control over anything. Yes, he was keeping himself alive, but barely. Killing himself, in a way, was him defeating the disease by taking control of his life and deciding his own fate. And he's happy! He's written his book, he's said his last loving words to Clarissa, life has meaning to him now that it's back under his control. It's terribly upsetting to us and to Clarissa when he jumps, but somehow I believe Richard was truly at peace and finally happy.

Oh, Clarissa. Mrs. Dalloway, Mrs. Vaughn, Clarissa. She's depressed as well, but in a completely different way from everybody else. I think she's manic-depressive. Clarissa has these moments of such euphoria, like when she's walking through town to buy flowers and declares "It's a beautiful morning!" I thought it was a rather ugly morning myself, but ok. And yet, though she seems to be loving life, Clarissa has moments where she just breaks down and questions everything about her life. She's under the impression, due to Richard, that her life is trivial. She almost seems to ignore Sally, or take her for granted, and sometimes she just sits and stares and thinks. Again, I have to wonder if this depression was with her her entire life or if it's only recent. I think with Clarissa it's actually recent. Maybe like a mid-life crisis due to Richard? She's feeling old, feeling her life is worthless, that she hasn't done anything? I don't know. Clarissa is the one I'm most unsure of, though I am sure that she is depressed. I think, though, that at the end of the movie she is heading towards a better place. The way she acts towards Sally, the way she kisses her, makes it seem like Clarissa is finally understanding her life and her feelings. She does love Sally, and she realizes she needs to show it more. I think her vitality is coming back, and that may be due to Richard committing suicide and allowing Clarissa to come face to face with Laura Brown and understand the whole spectrum of it all.