Review of Sophie's Choice (1982) by Alison C — 31 Mar 2010

I don't really know how to rate this movie or how I feel about it. so I'll just tell you what I do know. That was my favorite Streep performance and her best. and one of the best performances ever. period. I really loved Kevin Kline too. Peter MacNicol was also good. so great acting. and great chemistry between all of them. I really liked the used of classical music. it was hard to tell if the music was diegetic or non-diegetic. (diegetic means the sounds are meant to be coming from a physical place in the scene, where non-diegetic isn't. like mood music for the viewer's benefit.) and I liked that ambiguity. (I would guess that it was diegetic though.) I also liked the shot of Kline conducting with his reflection in all the windows. The story is intriguing. finding out that these lovers have lied to each other and everyone about important parts of who they are. This film starts on a high of joy and even makes me jealous of the companionship the three friends share. and then it just kind of nose dives to deeper levels of sorrow, horror, lies, trauma, and the tragic end. Given a choice, I prefer a movie that starts in the trenches and climbs up to redemption and/or happiness. (like Precious) I almost wish someone had warned me about how sad this film was. I cried. Sophie is a lovely person with a personality just as pretty inside as out. she is so kind and she suffers so much. its hard to watch. especially when it starts so deceivingly fun. I just have a hard time trying to justify why someone would make such a sad film. is it a social commentary on the long term effects of the holocaust? possibly. That's the best theory I can come up with because to say this film is strictly for entertainment would be morbid. there are probably an abundance of true stories like Sophie's.

Now to get technical, this film was based on a book, right? I feel like there are little plot holes of things not explained properly or at all that I want to know. Why DID Sophie get a ride home from the chiropractor? Where does she work? for a chiropractor? Why exactly could that girl not sleep with Stingo? (and to satisfy my curiosity) What was Stingo's real name? it makes me curious to read the book. so I feel that this wasn't translated to film quite as well as it could have been. great acting, anguished story, technical plot holes, yes. okay. that's all I can think to say.