Helen, 2009

Helen, 2009
Director:Sandra Nettelbeck
Cast: Ashley Judd, Goran Višnjič, Lauren Lee Smith


Stage: Home theatre

Helen in short: Helen has it all: friends, an attentive second husband, a cheerful teen daughter, musical talent, and a university teaching job. Then, something's amiss: is her husband cheating, does she have a fatal disease, does her past haunt her? There's a quick hospitalization, a disclosure, a bond with one of her students, Mathilde, and a dark chasm that seems to be opening in front of her: can Helen do anything about the problem she won't discuss, or will it swallow her?



Preps: I don't know anything about the movie, just a recommendation from a friend. It's good enough to check it out.


Reality: Wow, it can blow you away. You have a perfect job, family, relationship and all of the sudden, you go depressive, without any obvious reason. And try to kill yourself. Drive everyone around you crazy in caring about you, caring what you want and trying to help you. A difficult piece, making you think about these things. What if the fairy tale goes under in a few seconds, because you snip it out of the sudden?

Judd's role is perfect, and cast is brilliant. I am not familiar with such cases, so I cannot tell from real life, nevertheless, you will feel helpless and if this is the case, the director has done her job brilliantly. I love the tension she's making around herself, finally a true drama I enjoy watching. With the mouth wide open to what can happen to you just in a second, if you don't pay attention. Will make you also appreciate status quo and being healthy in a long run. Maybe also force you to indulge the moments you have and not wait for happiness to come by, but to grasp it with both hands as it is, in present.

You see some upgrade, as she recovers up to a point. But nothing is the same and nothing can change what she's done. Is remorsement and being aware enough? You can never tell. And it all gets so fragile you are just waiting for it to fall apart again.




My personal rating: 6,0 (what if you go nuts in a while, appareantly without a ground and lose it all due to your looniness? Worth checking it out. )


Helen on IMDB