Review of The Hours (2002) by Ben L — 01 Nov 2017

You know what?s depressing? Watching three suicidal women who don?t do much to open up and express their pain, but bottle it until they?re ready to burst. That?s what The Hours is, just a series of scenes where we see women who are barely holding on (and a really terrible nose prosthetic.

) I don?t want to diminish what this movie is depicting because I know, from experience, that this is real life for many women. However, this isn?t something I enjoy or find value in watching as a film.

If it explored more of the reasons why these women were experiencing the dissatisfaction with life it might have meant more to me, but instead it wallows in their sorrow. The sad truth is that I kept expecting revelation.

I anticipated a big moment where emotions would be poured out, and secrets would be expressed, and I would feel like there was a purpose to this whole thing. But it never came. The resolution of the story for all three characters was frustrating, and I felt utterly empty by the end of the film.

The use of Mrs. Dalloway as the connecting thread was a strange idea, but it might have been more effective for me if I was familiar with the book. There is some good acting in the film, I was particularly impressed with the scenes between Meryl Streep and Ed Harris.

I also must say, The Hours is effective at evoking an atmosphere and telling an engaging series of stories intercut with one another. Yet it is not a film I could ever see myself recommending to someone else because it is so deeply sad and hard to watch.