Story Lover

I’ve come to peace with movie adaptations of my favorite books. I see them now as a second chance to make a great story. Or like a copy of something that’s a little blurred or off. And I thought that this was a beautiful adaptation. For this story, I think I liked the movie more than the book.

There are pieces that I liked more in the book, like the back story of Thomas Schell and his life in Germany. But in the movie, I loved how Oskar’s mother went to all the people first. I like how the story was pulled together at the end. And I love the letter that he wrote to all the Blacks at the end of his journey. However, I didn’t like how Oskar found a little card from his father. It all seemed to come together a little too Hollywood perfect. But the story was still heartbreaking.

It made me think about what I’d leave Eliot behind. It made me think of my mother. I loved reading the letter she wrote my aunt and uncle. I love the little pieces I have of her. Yet she still remains, in large part, a stranger to me. My own mother. And I think that’s something that I’d count as a failure, if I remained a stranger to my children. So, I’ve decided that I’ll try and write Eliot a letter whenever something pops into my head. Not every day or even every month, but enough so that at the end of my life, when he receives them all, I’ll be more familiar than strange.

This movie also made me think of my love of community. In a way Oskar created a community of Blacks. And they were all only connected to one another through him. He was the linchpin. He wasn’t looking for friends or stories, but he ended up getting quite a few. All he needed was a trace of his father and along the way he realized that every family, everyone, is touched by loss, by sorrow. There is no one on this earth that hasn’t had some sadness in their story. His was more dramatic and a part of American history, but he wasn’t alone. He was just another part of the human experience. And I believe that realization helped him move beyond his sorrow and grief.