Bonus: Thelma (2024)

Optimism in a time of pessimism

I’m alive!

I’ve been having a particularly nasty case of writer's block lately, so I’m throwing this out into the ether while my ideas marinate. This is unedited, so let me off easy, okay? I’ve got a job interview next week, a trip planned for later this month, and I’ve been rewatching movies at an alarming rate. Onwards and upwards.

Review

I started my Substack while unemployed and staying with my grandmother. Almost a year later, I am rapidly approaching the same situation. Thelma (2024) reminds me a lot of this brief but terrible bump in my roadmap. When an elderly woman falls for a scam, she takes matters into her own hands to get her money back.

My grandmother (now 90) lives alone, much like June Squibb’s character Thelma. Much like in Thelma, our family has been trying to figure out what we should do about that. We would never dream of moving her from her home, but she’s becoming increasingly dependent on the assistance of others. What struck me most during my recent stay with her was how much in denial the rest of my family appeared to be about her current state. My grandmother is still sharp; she still drives (despite our insistence that this is a bad idea), and she handles living alone reasonably well. However, during my stay, I was doing a high volume of tasks I could not imagine her doing alone. I live hundreds of miles away from her, and lately, I’ve been very concerned that my family who lives closer do not realize how much help she needs. In Thelma, Thelma’s family struggles with the same dilemma. What I loved so much about the movie is how it highlights not only her struggles with getting older but also how much independence she still has. My own grandmother needs help, but I need to stop acting like she’s helpless.

Fred Hechinger plays Thelma’s grandson, Danny. Danny is 24, between jobs, recently broke up with his girlfriend, and simply does not know where he is in life. This is almost an exact mirror of my own life last year. He and Thelma are opposite sides of the same coin. Old and young, but both struggling with how to accept the horror that is getting older. Danny is under pressure to spread his wings and fly; Thelma is under pressure to stow hers away and stay on the ground.

Thelma is a simple movie. One idea, few characters, minimal pot. It’s funny, heartwarming, and well-executed. Despite its simplicity, Thelma packed a punch I was unprepared for. I found myself brought to tears by the parallels it drew in my own life at the time, and as I rewatch it now, I am equally as moved. I visit my grandmother soon, I am pointing myself in a new direction, and I am taking some advice from Thelma. Stop worrying so much about what is to come, and take some time for optimism.

Bye!

I will write a war-horror review soon, I promise. Actually, like I said, it may not be soon because I have a lot going on right now, but it will come eventually. Thanks for reading. In the meantime, watch Thelma.