Subtitle Saturday: My Mother's Castle

I realized after I watched this movie that I should have watched its companion film ("My Father's Glory") first...oh well.  I look forward to watching the other film, because this movie was very enjoyable.  It's one of those kinds of movies that truly evokes a certain feeling.  It doesn't tell a profound story, and it doesn't have a grand message.  Instead, it tells a simple story, tells it well, and elicits great nostalgia for the viewer. 

The story gives us that emotion by depicting a family's longing.  The family yearns for simplicity and rest in its holiday home.  It tells the story of a boy named Marcel and his family.  They live the French city of Marseilles, but they pine for more time at their country home in the hills of Provence.  The movie takes great care to show us why the family loves their holiday home so much.  There are wonderful encounters with gregarious family members depicted.  There are days in which Marcel simply live to wander "his hills", exploring his holiday home, and taking great joy in having new adventures and making friends at his holiday home.   There is also a traditional French Christmas feast depicted which evokes a lot.  It made me hungry as I watched.

As with most stories, there is an eventual crisis.  The family finds a way to spend every weekend at their holiday home, but the walk to their home is a long and winding road.  They are offered a short cut by a public official, but it involves trespassing on private properties.  The family loves their country home so much, but they have to decide whether they should risk breaking the law so that a 2 hour trip could turn into a mere 30 minute stroll.  The decision takes on a different tone when it is revealed that Marcel's mother is of weak constitution.

Once again, the plot of the movie is not as much the point as the feelings the movie evokes.  As I watched, I thought about how much my kids have grown to love our family escapes to Northern Minnesota.  The last couple of years, we have been able to have multi day escapes to Brainerd, Minnesota.  The kids love swimming in the lake, and Steph and I can revel in watching them and in enjoying utter peace.  I thought of those times while I watched this movie.  All of us have an idyllic place that feels like a paradise on earth.  The place is often difficult to get to, and usually, the time spent there is short.  But we all feel rejuvenated by the experience of going to our special place of rest.  For the characters in this movie, that place is the hills of Provence.  What is special about this movie is its ability to evoke the longing for our own place.  It certainly makes Provence look idyllic, but I think even more, it makes us long for our place.