Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000)
Synopsis
An anthology of five loosely connected stories dealing with a variety of very different women in dealing with their own life problems. The first story “This is Dr. Keener” features Glenn Close as a doctor looking after her invalid mother who comes to realize that her own life is passing her by. The second story “Fantasies About Rebecca” features Holly Hunter as a wealthy bank manager who doesn’t realize that her own life is a sham in dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, a workaholic boyfriend, and an observant street woman who knows more about Rebecca than she herself does. The third, “Someone For Rose” features Kathy Baker as a single mother who debates with herself over starting a romance with a dwarf who moves into the house across her street. The fourth, “Goodnight Lilly, Goodnight Christine” features Calista Flockhart as Christine, a tarot reader who struggles with increasing grief and depression while taking care of her lesbian lover Lilly who’s dying from cancer. The fifth, “Love Waits for Kathy” features Amy Brenneman as a police detective who examines her loneliness after her blind sister Carol begins dating while Kathy is on a case of investigating the suicide of an old school friend who was just as lonely as she.
What Uncle Sha learned
If this is a movie that sheds light on the psyche of women, then I’m in plenty of trouble.
At the end of the film, I’m still perplex what was the rationale being the actions and reactions of the various characters in the story.
It’s a movie with no start and end, but just the middle.
I’ve my own assumptions of course but I can’t be certain it reflects what the screenwriters are trying to convey in the five various interwoven stories in the film.
Maybe it’s a movie that wants you to judge each woman for who they are, subjective to your own individual culture, experiences, and ideas.
Is it just me or the movie was rather depressing. There’s this constant feeling of vulnerability and loneliness potrayed by each of the ladies.
Overall it’s an excellent ensemble of cast with great performance, but I’m left with more questions than answers in fact after watching this movie.
