In our stars?

I just saw a television advertisement for a new movie, “The Fault in Our Stars.” I believe this film has neither opened in theaters nor been reviewed in the New York Times. To be honest, it does not look like a film Barry and I would ordinarily be likely to see. But if you have caught one of the commercials for it, you could not help but notice that the lead character, a young woman, is using supplemental oxygen via a nasal cannula. That clearly piqued my interest.

The title comes from the Shakespearean play, “Julius Caesar.” In Act I, Scene ii, Cassius, a nobleman, is trying to persuade his friend, Brutus, to stop Julius Caesar from becoming monarch of Rome. Cassius says

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings."

I am no Shakespearean scholar and I neither recall enough about the play nor know enough about the plot of this movie to comment on precisely how that line fits. However, after seeing a trailer, my attention was drawn to a very different aspect of this film: the main character uses supplemental oxygen. I have commented here previously that, ordinarily in the movies and on television, a nasal cannula signifies that the user is at death’s door. Here, too, the young woman has a disease that will eventually be fatal, but she certainly does not appear to be moments from the end. Instead, she is still trying to continue to live her life as fully as she can with oxygen in tow.

If you have been reading my ramblings then you know that I am not one for a lot of sappy sentimentality. I suspect this film is a real pull at the heartstrings. I also would be quite surprised if it wins wide critical acclaim. Still, there is a small part of me that does applaud the portrayal of a beautiful young woman (played by actress Shailene Woodley) who wears this contraption in public and makes it appear almost routine.

There have been a number of movies released to very good reviews recently but between Passover, Julia, and a lot going on for Barry, we have not seen any of them. Still, I plan to put this one on the list.

Have a good week.

Love,

Rebecca