Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Truly, Madly, Deeply


I was reading about the death of Anthony Minghella a little over a year ago. I was sorry to hear that he died for a number of reasons. One is that he was only fifty four, the flower of youth from my fifty four year old perspective. He also directed some big and good films, including the English Patient and Cold Mountain. My favorite Minghella picture was one I didn't know he directed and wrote until after he died. It was Truly, Madly, Deeply made in 1990 and starring Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson.

It is about a husband who dies unexpectedly and the wife who is inconsolable about the loss of the love of her life. She desparately wants him back, and he does return from beyond the grave. It turns out that what begins as an experience of great joy wears a bit thin when his "other side" buddies show up as well and hog the sitting room in their flat, watching TV well into the night.

I thought it was an entertaining and poignant reflection on loss and coming to grips with grief. I spend a lot of time with those who are losing, have lost, still feeling the loss of loved ones. It's not just physical death either. There are cruel diseases such as Alzheimer's , along with divorce and other crushing losses. Somehow Truly, Madly, Deeply makes the statement that while death may wound us it doesn't have the final say, a Christian conviction if ever there was one.

Have any of you seen it?

2 comments:

Laurie said...

Have seen it. Thought it was a good movie. I really liked the English Patient. He also produced a lot of great movies.The Reader for one. He had great talent.

Deborah Laforet said...

Loved all these movies. It's been a long time since I saw Truly, Madly, Deeply though. Maybe I will have to see if it's still available to rent.