Recently I stumbled across an article by Christy Lemire in The Associated Press describing six great movies about troubled marriages. According to Lemire, “troubled marriages can provide show performances and moments of uncomfortable truth.”
So, here’s the list for you movie-enthusiasts…
“Scenes from a Marriage” (1973): One of Ingmar Bergman’s very best performances, this intimate and piercing drama follows a seemingly happy, upper-middle class Swedish couple over the years as their trouble marriage falls apart.
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (1966): The ultimate train wreck — Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton booze it up and berate each other in front of a poor, unsuspecting young couple who had the misfortune of saying “yes” to their invitation to come over one evening.
“The War of the Roses” (1989): Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner star as Oliver and Barbara Rose, tearing each other and everything around them apart. Their mansion becomes a war zone.
“Blue Valentine” (2010): A heartbreaking drama about the disintegration of a marriage depicted in such raw, unadorned, and sometimes uncomfortably close fashion, it makes you feel as if you’re watching a documentary about a real-life couple.
“I Am Love” (2010): A gorgeous film about a marriage slowly and quietly dying. Tilda Swinton stars as the gracious and impeccable dressed wife of a Milanese industrialist. She would seem to have it all with her husband and three children — until she realizes she is not happy. A young chef catcher her eye and helps her rediscover the woman she used to be.
“Hope Springs” (2012): Meryl Street and Tommy Lee Jones play a longtime married couple who have fallen into a rut. Kay and Arnold are a devoted couple, but decades of marriage have left Kay wanting to spice things up and reconnect with her husband. When she hears of a renowned couple’s specialist in the small town of Great Hope Springs, she attempts to persuade her skeptical husband, a steadfast man of routine, to get on a plane for a week of marriage therapy. Just convincing the stubborn Arnold to go on the retreat is hard enough — the real challenge for both of them comes as they shed their bedroom hang-ups and try to re-ignite the spark that caused them to fall for each other in the first place.
Share your thoughts about these films and the stories they tell.