Take 37: Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

Tuesday: My "take" on a film.

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005)

One chance meeting. Two changed lives.

Mrs. Palfrey (Joan Plowright) moves to London and books a room at the Claremont, a residential hotel-style retirement center. Her grandson also lives in the city, but he doesn't return her calls. With a literal misstep, she stumbles into an endearing friendship with a young man, Ludo (Rupert Friend). She invites him to dine with her at the Claremont and when the quirky residents learn she will have a young male guest, they assume it is her "mythical" grandson... and she doesn't correct them.

Thanks to Leonard Maltin's 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen for recommending this lovely film. He states, "If you refuse to accept the premise that a man in his twenties could express genuine friendship for a woman in her seventies, this is not your kind of story."

Well, I accept that premise, especially when I reflect on the young whipper snappers who befriended me when I returned to school at age fifty. Besides, Mrs. Palfrey is kind, gentle, and wise...

MRS. PALFREY

But, you know, things are meant to happen.

Destiny might lead us to the path, but the

rest of it is up to us. Always remember to

make the most of every moment. It's the

single most important lesson of my life.

...I want her for my grandmother and friend, too!

Notes on content:

• No profanity.
• No violence.
• A young man and his girlfriend are shown in bed together, kissing, with bare upper bodies visible but no private parts revealed. Also a scene with a bare-chested young man sitting at a desk, typing.

Writing deep.

Monday: Dialogue, Lines, or Quotes

I reviewed the movie I Can Only Imagine (2018) for ClearPlay. A tagline for the film states: The song you know. The story you don't. 

And what a difference that story makes!

Telling a painful story is not an easy task. I know, because I'm working on mine at a pace that a snail could zoom past.

The following scene hit me with power and still lingers on my mind... the band's manager, Scott Brickell (Trace Adkins), confronts the lead singer, Bart (J. Michael Finley), who is ready to give up.

BRICKELL

Let me ask you something, Bart. What're you running from? 

BART

My dad. He, uh -- he --

BRICKELL

He beat you, didn't he? Ya ain't got no poker face, kid.

BART

And I carry that. I have to live with that. You know? I always will.

BRICKELL

Then write about it. Stop running from it. Let that pain become your inspiration. And then you'll have something people can believe in. But to do that, you got to face your fears, son.

Bart followed that wise advice and it led him to write the song I Can Only Imagine which became a multi-platinum hit.

I was not abused by my father but can relate to Bart's story in other ways and I appreciate movie dialogue that prods me.

How about you? Do you have a story that needs told? Do you have a difficult time facing those fears or writing deep?

(For my ClearPlay review of the film, click here.)