Anywhere But Here

Starring Natalie Portman and Susan Sarandon

A funny and poignant tale of a mother and daughter relationship. Susan Sarandon plays Adele, a small-town girl from Wisconsin (with a head full of big cities names), who's dream was to leave home and live a bigger life, which included the aspiration and possibility that her daughter might become an actress. Dragging her reluctant daughter, Ann, they set out for California in a cute vintage Mercedes. The Mercedes has cost her a fortune, if not, a substantial amount of her savings. Once they reached California, Adele improvises along the way as they move from one apartment to another (it is implied that she is unable to pay the utilities bill sometimes), all the while making ends meet in Beverly Hills, (where Ann attends the famed Beverly Hills High School), teaching at an impoverished section of L.A and, being unsuccessful at finding a suitable and rich father for Ann.

There are times, during her strained and endearing relationship with her mother, that Ann thinks about running away. Her mother is a lovely yet flighty women, who knows best for her daughter. Unfortunately, her daughter knows better? Oftentimes, while conversing with well-to-do strangers from their environs, Adele passes off lies about their lives so that mother and daughter would not be looked down upon based on their economic background. Ann grudgingly keeps silent. Her mother found a newspaper advertisement for an audition; Ann reluctantly accepts, making sure that her mother does not come. Not wanting to miss out on her daughter's opportunity to land on a show, Adele shows up at the studio, only to learn that her own daughter is using her mother for inspirational improvisation material, in a demeaning manner. Although Ann is clearly a wonderful girl, the audience is left slightly hesitant about whether Ann really wants to run away from home. This opportunity presented itself, but more because Ann is about to graduate from high school, and, at the start of the film, it was known that she always wanted "to go back East for college". Her mother had already planned her to attend UCLA. Ann finally confronts and explains that this is her only chance to finally do what she wants and to become independent. In the end, including the help of a generous police officer, Adele decides what is best for her daughter by supporting Ann's dream to go away from home for college at Brown University.

I love this indie film.

***

I sometimes wonder why I'm the only child. Of course, there are pros and cons to being the only child. Sibling-less. For one, I'm left with a lot of freedom to do pretty much whatever I want. I get to spend a lot of time with myself. I get to read a lot of books, and study quietly. At the same time, I also get a lot of my mother's love (my mother's love was imprinted quite obviously on my clothes, my hair, my shoes, and my sense of self when I was a little girl. Everyone could tell). But there are times, especially in the middle of 'A Personal Conflict', when I feel smothered by maternal love. Don't get me wrong though. I know that I'm a very, very lucky girl. On the other hand, I also know that when it's my turn to start a family and have kids I want at least three. (Three is a good number, because from two to three you cross the size threshold from ideal family to large family). Whenever me and my Mom don't see eye to eye with each other (we butt heads a lot; she and I have different views on many things), again I very much wish that I had an older brother to talk to, and to talk to me, share his point of view, and yes, tease me so that I don't have to be by myself all the time, with my mother's words stirring in my head like a toothache.