Review of Griffin & Phoenix (2006) by Tam K — 07 Jun 2009

When watching this movie I was not expecting Phoenix's (Amanda Peet) situation. I cannot imagine two people finding each other after a lifetime of mediocre events just to lose each other. The most amazing moments of their lives were spent together. That's what they remembered, the good times. If this movie was actually happening to someone I cannot imagine what their life would be like. I certainly wouldn't take the news with as much calm as they both did. To accept you are going to die and you haven't even had the chance to do all the things you wanted to in life ... just heartbreaking.

In the beginning of the movie, I could not understand why Phoenix refused to get involved with Griffin ( Dermot Mulroney). People say all the time you only have so much time to live your life and you never know when even that limited time can be taken away from you. You need to make the most of it. I could understand later her desire to say away from him perhaps in fear that she might finally have something in her life she would be afraid of losing, afraid of leaving behind. Even Griffin impressed me with his attitude towards death. We all, after all, fear it to some magnitude. Yet, even with the ease they both accepted their inevitable deaths they also gave in to unimaginable anger at their fate at one point or another. I think I particularly appreciated the fact the ending is not marked with their deaths. It is marked with the memories they both shared, the time they both spent together and the amazing connection they both had. It is not often we meet someone who totally understands who we are in the threads of our soul. Someone who understands our deepest desires. Someone who can read our soul like a book off a shelf. To Griffin that was Phoenix. To Phoenix that was Griffin.