I must admit that at first, I wasn't sure whether The Wife fits my blog. Indeed, the two key characters/heroes of the movie are older persons - but overall, it seemed to me that the movie was not about "old age" or even "ageing". However, it was my son Shahar, who was watching with me who convinced me that it fits - and I'll try to explain it below.
This is a 2017 drama, Directed by Bjorn Runge, the film is based on a novel by Meg Wolitzer. The plot follows an old couple: it begins when the husband (played by Jonathan Pryce) a celebrated author and a professor receives a phone call from Sweden, congratulating him that he has won the Nobel Prize of literature. He and his wife (played by Glenn Close), dance on their bed with joy, and the rest of the movie basically follows them trough their journey in Sweden, and receiving the Nobel award. Along the way, and through the use of flashback, the couple's history is revealed. Without spoiling the movie, I will only say that the film slowly reveals the complex personal and familial relationships, as the Nobel-Prize event only places their life long "understandings" into question.
The movie is not easy to watch, as it develops very slowly - on the one hand; and on the other hand - very early on, one can already understand the main "point"/direction the movie is taking.
Overall the movie is much about gender issues, and the historical power-relationships between men and women in general, and within the literature/academic world in specific. That's why my tendency was not view it as a "gerontological" movie.
However, my son made a valid point: the movie raises a fascinating gerontological question: to what extent "age" or "old age" can serve as an emancipator? Or in other words - do older women, for example - find old age as a time to set them selves free from past oppression? This point is raised very nicely in this film - and I recommend watching it mainly for this reason.
Finally, for those who love Glenn Close (like I do) - without doubt this is a tour-de-force of her performance.
2017
USA
Director: Bjorn Runge
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d81IM0loH7o
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