Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Serendipity

Last night I chanced upon this little known movie called EULOGY. Not exactly a star-studded cast but still generally consisting of people I knew or had seen onscreen, it seemed a risk worth taking for 90 minutes of my sleep. And even before the starting credits rolled off, I knew it had paid off. The story goes somewhat like this (and I quote IMDB here) "A black comedy that follows three generations of a family, who come together for the funeral of the patriarch - unveiling a litany of family secrets and covert relationships." Now this is a theme (of dysfunctional families) well explored in recent sitcoms n movies... Six Feet Under, Arrested Development, American Beauty & Spanglish to name a few. I kept wondering why they still base movie storylines on it?? Haven't they exploited the concept enough?? Movies, television, drama are supposed to be a reflection of the society, so has it become a prototype of the typical american family these days ?? Why has this nation gone so crazy all of a sudden these days? But if you really think about it, how do you know you're normal ? While we may not be perverted enough to ask Mom for an "erotic cheesecake" on our 11th birthday OR hide in a closet with Dad to see our lesbian aunts "in action" on the night before our grandpa's funeral nonetheless, we're all quirky in our own way. And that's what makes life interesting...worth living. All one can hope for is that his/her quirkiness doesnt drive a family member crazy enough to commit suicide. Not often these days, does a movie come out, that challenges your beliefs, perceptions about life and makes you wake up, take notice and think about it. No wonder it didn't make much money at the BO :D