What is it
about Rotten Tomatoes, the arbiter of the fate of many a movie? Its verdict on the
movie Four letters of love at 39% described as “too introspective and
disjointed” (in reference to what exactly? ) is mean spirited and unimaginative.
The movie
has its faults but the story is not one of them. Williams reminds me of the
great South American writers like Jose Garcia Marquez who was hailed as someone
who stunned, moved, seduced and transformed with his magical realism. Or consider
the beautiful film Like water for Chocolate likewise haunting in its magical
realism.
This is a
love story where characters follow, call it the voice of God, their hearts or
the dictates of fate. Apparent coincidence which turns out to be destiny is to the fore, like it was in Hardy’s
fiction or in Greek tragedy. Viewers who
consider the plot unlikely or depressing have already failed to identify the
genre.
The acting
like the story is deeply heart felt. The scenery breath taking, though that
aspect irritated some viewers as well. No body complained when Skellig Micheal
in Star
Wars was depicted as a mythical Jedi temple.
I concede
that the musical score was at times for me intrusive and took away from the
narrative. The script has its own musical cadence and did not need such
embellishment. Accents were dubious at times and the aran jumpers far too new
and gorgeous for 1970s Irish islanders. But these aspects of the production did
not take away from the overall effect of the film.
It is a
step into a world where the dictates of heart and soul triumph, where the human
journey is depicted in all its soul searching rawness. It is a film that explores
the challenging and tortuous search for love.
Come on
Rotten Tomatoes let go to the magical realism of it.
Copyright 2025 Cathy Leonard
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