Review of Plenty (1985) by Anna S — 19 Apr 2008

Susan Traherne is my favourite Meryl Streep movie character. I could watch this movie over and over again (I often come back to it and re-watch it) and never get tired of it.

I particularly love the last scene, which shows a young idealistic Susan in France shortly after the war, talking to a French farmer and her looking over the horizon, full of hope for a better future in the post-war world, telling the man:

"We have grown up, we will improve our world! (...) My friend, there will be days and days and days like this!".

And the way her expression changes from joy and anticipation to a slight sense of disbelief in her own words. I love that scene! It's both ironic and sad given what happened in her life later on (as we learn from the flashbacks).