When I first saw this movie it really struck a 
nerve with me. It captures the essence of an exhausted mother in such a way that it forces us to see things that we may not want to see in ourselves. How the daily grind of life can be a bit too much to handle. And let’s face it, no doubt about it, parenting is HARD. College professor Leda Caruso (Olivia Colman) is taking a much needed vacation. She meets a young mother and daughter on the beach, and becomes consumed by their budding relationship. This chance meeting forces her to face her own choices that she made in her past, and deal with their consequences.
—Spoiler Alert—
This movie captures what some people would never admit too, and takes a stab at a very taboo subject. A mother abandoning her kids. There are so many themes in this: adultery, entitlement, selfishness, negligence. And oh my god, the scene at the beach! How people get lost in their own sea of importance, with no regard of anything or anyone else. Specifically, the scene with the signs all over in the jungle about a missing doll. WTF???? So poignant.
The vile behavior of the people on the beach, and how they treat the other people on the resort. That feeling of losing a toddler. And let me tell you, that’s such a nasty stroke of horrendous fear that no mother wants to go through. Did that happen to me? Yes, it did. And thank god, my child was found. But those few moments before he was found, you feel panic so horrific, you want to die. And I don’t wish that on anyone, ever.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and can see why it won so many awards. Olivia Colman is phenomenal, as well as Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades fame), Ed Harris & Peter Sarsgaard. Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal
Check it out, currently on Netflix.
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