Author: LitaPitasMusings

This is a film about how technology and the internet affect all of us- whether that be men, women, and children. There are probably a multitude of ways in which our phones and internet affect our lives. Whether it is my friend who is in medical school and posted on Facebook that he couldn’t pass his medical school classes without the internet. Then there are my feminist friends (who are deeply concerned with gender politics) who say that thanks to GPS on our phones, the answer to the age-old question of who should ask for directions –is ask Siri!
This film explores different avenues internet technology has permeated our lives. The first trope this film brings to my mind is the Kris Jennerization effect the internet has on parenting, and moreover people’s careers. In this film, a high school student named Hannah is an aspiring actress. She even goes to a casting call for a reality TV show. Her mom is like a Kris Jenner who exploits her daughter’s sexuality by taking salacious pictures of her and posting them on a website. She believes that this will expose her daughter more, bring advertisers to the website, and this in turn will bring them more money for photo and modeling shoots. The reason I said that this story line reminds me of Kris Jenner, is because Kris Jenner uses the platform of the internet to catapult her daughters’ images to the world- and sometimes with the help of salacious photos and photo shoots revolving her daughters.
Another trope of how internet technology permeates our lives is by giving us access into our children’s lives. Brandy Beltmeyer is a normal 21st century high school student in this movie who wants to use the internet to stay in touch with friends. BUT, her mother Patricia Beltmeyer will have NONE of this. And obsessively monitors all her social media activity, to the point of deleting her social media accounts. Brandy, eventually succumbs to making a secret Tumbler account so that she can maintain a friendship with her friend Tim- an ex-football player.
Patricia represents the helicopter, overprotective, smothering parent in the 21st century. Smothers and have always existed throughout the dawn of time. And they will be damned if a little thing like social media will get their way of tightening their grip on their children. Even if this means knowing their children’s social media passwords, and checking every word posted on social media websites. Jennifer Garner portrays the rigid, uptight Patty Beltmeyer convincingly.
Then there is the matter of relationships and the internet. First there is the loveless couple (the husband is portrayed by Adam Sandler) who end up cheating on each other thanks to websites such as Ashley Madison. Then there is their son who sees so much pornography on a daily basis that well he cannot get ‘high’ from the regular amount of porn he sees! Tim, the ex-football player finds companionship through Brandy thanks to her use of a secret tumbler account. It should be noted that Tim also uses the internet to heavily play online video games as a way to cope with an injury which prevents him from rejoining football, and also a way to cope with the loss of his mother who left the family.
The narratives and stories in the subplots are captivating; and a lot of these stories are interwoven (e.g. Tim and Brandy) and it is interesting to see how one of these subplots affects the other. I furthermore like, how the messages characters post on the internet interface on the screen so, the audience can fully see and feel the larger than life/3-d effect these messages have on their character’s mind and emotions.
Perhaps my only complaint for this movie is the title. This movie is so much about how technology/the internet encompasses our life in helping us enhance our careers, helping us maintain our friendships, accessing information, giving us the first glimpse into pornography, and even being the last resort in rekindling our marriages and being yet another tool in tightening the leash onto our children. Though many of these things happen to men, women and children (the title of the film)-the title of the film should reflect the seeping quality of technology in our lives.
One last reason I love this film is because it has the Jason Reitman touch to it. And what I love about director Jason Reitman is that he really isn’t afraid to show the times that we live in and the often mundane aspects of our lives- and highlight them, build stories regarding them, which captivates us and holds our interests. He did this with the movie up in the Air regarding joblessness and the recession and now with internet and internet based communication in this film. None of his films have murders, war, or really crazy things going on, yet his films are interesting and make the viewer want to keep on watching. That said, I hope that you can go out and truly see this film- it will hold your interest.

In this day and age where our lives are often ruled by
iPhones/androids/smartphone/cellphones- or basically anything that is digital and connected to the
internet- we often don’t have a bird’s eye view of who all of these forms of communication fully affect
human relationships. We live by these vessels of technology but we don’t see ourselves living in the
midst of such technology. Well, that is until now. This movie also manages to interweave several
storylines of people in a town, the struggles and triumphs of their existences, as well as how their lives
interact with each other. If you are looking for a story about the ups and downs of human life, and how
our iPhones and Smartphones affect the ride called life, then this is the movie for you.

Let’s address What We Notice First: This is Reese Witherspoon like you have never seen before
So in the first minutes of the film, you see Reese Witherspoon dressed in not so glamorous clothing, taking off her boot, and revealing a bloodied and blackened toe! The boot falls off the cliff, and she sends the other shoe over the cliff as well. Then you hear her saying, “You f—ing b—ch.”
And then you think about Legally Blonde and you do a double take. This is the same actress?
True Reese has done meaty film roles when she acted in for instance, Vanity Fair and Walk the Line. But, she hasn’t acted in anything so gritty, and unglamorous as Wild. It is a vision to see her in this light.
This film is a feminist film at its height
Perhaps my favorite aspect of this film is that it is a film which showcases feminism at its best. It does show a woman all by herself going cross country to redeem herself after years of spiraling downwards into drug addicted behavior, cheating on her husband a countless number of times, and at one point even becoming pregnant with one of her adulterer’s children. Traditionally women have often been designated to be with someone- a husband, a father, or even among the company of other women. But women, haven’t traditionally been recommended by society to be alone. You are told that you need a man for money, a house, and for protection. What Cheryl does- going out in the wilderness by herself is unheard of.
And there are definitely times, when the filmmakers make sure that people get this message. First, it is when Cheryl goes to check-in at the motel and the motel clerk (For the record, it’s Carolyn from Mad Men- Roger’s secretary) says that you have to list an emergency contact, and Cheryl says that she is here by herself and the clerk, says no you cannot be. You have to have an emergency contact. This back- and forth exchange goes on for a while, until Cheryl finally lists her ex-husband as her contact. But, this exchange showcases to viewers, how society is telling a woman that she must have somebody— how she be totally without somebody? How can she truly be by herself as Cheryl says she is.
Another instance, this film test’s society’s (and possibly viewer’s assumptions) is when Cheryl is picked up by the farmworker and taken to his house for dinner. His wife has made a lot of food, and as the three of them sit down for dinner, Cheryl tells them of her solo journey. The wife says, “Oh my husband would never let me do that.” And the husband chimes in, “You are right, I wouldn’t.” I think the message the filmmakers want us to walk away with are that women still need men’s permission when it is time for them to do something different than ‘wifely’ tasks like cooking.
Perhaps this is the cornerstone of the feminist elements of this film is when Cheryl runs into a man who is a reporter and who works for a paper called The Hobo Times. He says that he would like to interview a female hobo for the paper. And every time Cheryl says, I am not a hobo, he asks her another question about being a female hobo. It’s pretty hilarious! Eventually this conversation prompts Cheryl to say that when can a women ever leave? We are either somebody’s wife or somebody’s mother. The reporter then asks/tells her that she sounds like a feminist. And her response of course is, Yes, I am.
Chery’s story is truly unprecedented. Here is a woman, who fends for herself, makes her own food, and travels in the elements- without much help from others. If this film cannot convince a sexist, that women need men like a bicycle needs a fish- then I don’t know what can.
This film really plays with sexuality
From the orgasmic breathing as Reese hikes to the top of the cliff in the beginning of the film, to when a fellow hiker questions her 12 condoms in her backpack, to the men who eye her ravenously on the trail ( and later even show up unannounced)—this film has a sexual feel to it. Sometimes the sexual feeling which permeates this film- has a predator and prey pull to it.
Disappointments in the movie
I remember reading up on the movie before seeing it on the big screen. I also remember Reese Witherspoon discussing how Cheryl Strayed had sexual experiences with different men and how she (Reese) found this empowering. In fact, Reese went onto explain how these stories’ from Cheryl’s life helped Reese have conversations with her daughter about female sexuality; and how sometimes as a girl/woman growing up, “.. you just need to be with those guys ( sexually). We all have different needs and sometimes you need to sleep with those men at that point in your life. “
But honestly, I didn’t see Cheryl have a lot of “free healthy sex” relationships with many men outside the confines of marriage. Don’t misunderstand me, sex within the confines of marriage is absolutely fine, and with such a caring husband like Cheryl’s that’s even better! But, since sex outside of marriage has been traditionally looked down upon for women, and this film has been hailed as a feminist film—so I guess I wanted to see more of that.
Perhaps, the only twice I saw her have healthy free sex, was towards the end of the movie when she is done with the trail and she has sex with a guy she meets at a concert. And he graciously accepts her physical scars and seems caring.
The other times she had sex, were times in my mind when she shouldn’t have sex. This is because they all seemed to be from times when she cheated on her husband. Her husband in my eyes, was a saint. He stayed with Cheryl for many years despite the fact that she cheated on him; when she was high out of her mind on the street, he picked her up, he dealt with her shouts, and when they were no longer together he was her emergency contact, and even mailed her packages at different rest stops along the Pacific crest trail.
When she worked as a waitress a few times it looked like she took some customers to the back of the alley and had sex with them. And it really bothered me to see this because first of all, we as the audience didn’t know if these men were married or not. So by sleeping with her they could be committing adultery.
Furthermore, WE as the audience know that she is married, so it is really hard to see her committing adultery. But these relationships seemed like snippets of the film. You don’t see her engaging in too many physical relationships, and furthermore relationships which as Reese Witherspoon said, “ Sometimes you just need to sleep with those boys.” Where was that?
Yes, it is a great feminist (and human) journey to take such a bold, unique, and incredibly hard journey through nature’s elements by yourself. At the same time, it would have been nice to see her show snippets of healthy female sexuality-especially when sexual elements like the orgasmic breathing intro or the men who watch her like prey on the trail- make the film a bit sexually charged. To have the environment be sexually charged and not see much actual sex scene tidbits, well makes parts of the film a bit of sexual tease.
Family and Redemption
The fourth and in my opinion, sweetest aspect of this film is family. Cheryl is really close with her mother Bobbie and while she was a child, her brother. Cheryl’s mother is a woman in an abusive relationship while Cheryl was growing up. In fact, from time to time there are flashbacks of Cheryl running into a drug store and running out with cotton pads and rubbing alcohol to wipe away her mother’s wounds. This sad family backdrop probably helped shape Cheryl into the feminist she became. But, it probably made all three of them very tight-knit because that is all they had. Her mother Bobbi (so brilliantly and lovingly played by Laura Dern) maintains her happiness despite what little material possessions and dilapidated house they have. At times, Cheryl resents her mother’s upbeat cheerfulness and questions on her how she can be so happy. Cheryl even challenges her mother’s ideas about the books they both have to read for a class. Cheryl’s source of annoyance at her mother isn’t always clear- but there is a feeling that it could stem from the age old saying which says, “We hurt the ones we love the most.” And it is clear that Cheryl deeply loves her mom. When her mother unexpectedly dies, Cheryl cries as if she is being burnt at the stake.
And at the end of the day, Cheryl feels that she lost her way in life because of the loss of her mother, and says, “I am going to walk back to the woman my mother was proud of.” Her redemptive journey is rooted in the reason of family.
Cheryl also seems to have found a family with her former husband. Even though they decide not to be together anymore, they decide to get tattoos which will connect them permanently in a way. While she is on the road, her only emergency contact and somebody who sends her care packages. He is the only family she has at times.
And at the end of the movie. Cheryl even mentions how after her journey is over that she ends up marrying somebody a few years later and has a son and then a daughter. So, her redemptive journey eventually led her to the reason why she did this on foot journey in the first place: family.

According to www.alz.org, a website dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease, as of 2015 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. Less than 200,000 of that number have early onset Alzheimer’s. The movie Still Alice is the story of one person who has this disease.
Alice is brilliant Columbia University professor ( And might I add played brilliantly by Julianne Moore) whose life unravels because of this monstrous ailment. She is unable to remember words when she lectures; she is unable to find her way around the house to the bathroom, and eventually she is unable to speak. Her life takes so many twists and turns it is heart wrenching.
But this movie shows us the power of the human spirit as Alice, does the best she can to fight her disease, and uses as many tactics that she can to fight her disease.
I understand that it is close to Finals season for many of us, so perhaps watching a woman losing her memory isn’t the most uplifting movie. But, if you are interested in seeing a woman fight for herself, her mind, and her family- then this is the movie. This movie is after all about strength, resolve, and determination- in the face of life’s troubles; and that type of inspiration is something we can use- at any time.

Just the other day I was thinking about a study abroad experience in the Emerald Isle itself, Ireland. As I manuevered through the study abroad company’s website- I came across a syllabus for Ireland’s Gothic Celtic fairy tales. And I too was curious about why many of Ireland’s old legends were the way they were.

So when I saw that at the Michigan Theater, the newly Academy -Award nominated Irish animation Song of the Sea was playing- I had to see it!

At the heart of the movie lies family. A little boy whose 6 year old sister Saoirse is a half mythical figure known as a Selkie cannot talk. Their mother, a full-blooded Selkie, has to return to the ocean the night Saoirsce was born. And over the years Saoirse has not been able to talk. One day she finds her mother’s furry white cloak and puts it on, it enables her to become a seal ( Selkies care seals in the water), as she makes her way to the bottom of the ocean. Later she comes up shore, shivering and semiconscious. Her father, fearing that he may lose his daughter as he did his wife- drops off his wife’s furry coat in a chest into the ocean. Later, their grandmother has the children moved to the city- so that Saoirse doesn’t follow her mother’s footsteps. But the children, especially Ben, realizes that they need to get back to their home in the lighthouse by the sea–especially as he notices her health deteriorate. He especially senses that the sea, holds some of the answers.

The story is no doubt, amazing, touching, and captivating at the same time. But what probably attracts me most to this film is the particular beautiful type of animation of this movie- and especially the animation of animals in this movie. The giant blue whale looked breathtaking-so lifelike yet having that unique, look, and warmth which only animation give. The badgers which live in the meadow which Saoirse and Ben pass through, look so ehereal, adorable, yet lifelike. The owls are shown to have a great mix of being vivacity and cunning- especially as the henchmen to the Owl Witch Macha. The seals will leave you fainting from cute overload. But probably the best animated animal representation is the sheepdog Cu ( Gaelic for dog). He is the cutest, liveliest, loyalest, slurping ball of fur to the silver screen in a long time.If not knowing more about Irish folklore wasn’t enough to see this movie, as well as to hear the actors, then Cu is the reason to see this movie!

Some other fun facts which might appeal to U of Mers is that the cult BBC and HULU hit Moone Boy ( I am a fan!!) lends one of their main actors as the voice of Ben. So if you are a David Rawle fan- you will love hearing Ben’s voice as well as his facial similarities with David! Famed actor Brendan Gleeson lends his voice to Conor- the children’s father.

And the soundtrack of this movie is so haunting, ethereal, and captivating. To me it is reminiscent of the essence of the song, Scarborough Fair. This is a movie which needs to be seen, heard, and felt.