Review of The Hours (2002) by Mi-Ju K — 04 Aug 2010

There are three women unhappy for their situation. They suffer a pain for their life. And I felt their sorrow all the time while watching the film.

In 1923 Richmond England, novelist Virginia Woolf starts her new novel ?Mrs. Dalloway?, under the care of doctors and her husband Leonard Woolf because of her unstable psychological health. One day, her sister, Vanessa, visits her from London and Virginia?s desire to go back to London becomes bigger. Meanwhile, Laura Brown, a pregnant housewife, in 1951, is deeply impressed by Virginia?s novel ?Mrs. Dalloway?. She plans to give birthday party for her husband with her son Richie. But, she doesn?t satisfy her life and want to run away from all. In 2001 New York, a lesbian publisher Clarissa Vaughan throws a party for her friend, Richard, a poet dying of AIDS.

In this movie, I like the story best. The structure of story is a little bit difficult. The movie shows three women in different time alternately. But I like the story because the three women?s story is concerned with the book ?Mrs. Dalloway?. ?Mrs. Dalloway? is a book about a woman that seems very happy for others but is not, written by Virginia Woolf. In the movie, Virginia always thinks about the book and puts her thought about death into the book. And Laura seems that she think she and Mrs. Dalloway are alike. Reading the book, Laura thinks she is not happy in her present life. Clarissa is called Mrs. Dalloway from Richard because, in the book, Mrs. Dalloway?s name is Clarissa.

The most surprising thing of this film is the acting of heroines. In order to act Virginia Woolf, Nicole Kidman wore a false nose and hair. Especially, she represented Virginia?s sharp and hysterical character well. So, I saw Virginia uneasily because she seems to commit something. And at the scene that Virginia tells Leonard that she wants to go to London, I can feel her despair about her situation. And I felt Laura?s sadness with Julianne Moore?s smiles. In addition, Clarissa?s agony represented by Meryl Streep due to Richard made me sad.

This movie contains three women?s life and we can feel their feelings. The story and acting is great and the original sound track is also good. But the detailed information about characters is lack. So, it is somewhat hard to understand their behavior.