Coming Home was an anti-war movie--I understand that. It was loosely based on the true story of a man who came home from Vietnam having lost everything, including his legs and the will to live. His story mirrored the stories of many young men coming home from the war who had done no more to deserve their fate than having been born in the 1940s. It's the story of many soldiers from many wars, in our country and elsewhere, in our generation and in times we don't remember. In the end, it effectively points out the horrors and futility of war. The old, "Fighting for peace is like fucking for chastity" ideology.
However, the female romantic in me also saw this movie as a sweet and touching love story. As much as it was his story, it was also hers. It was the story of a woman who wasn't satisfied with her life, but didn't even realize it until she met a man who turned her on to new things and a new way of life. A new man that can teach us something about ourselves is a romantic thought, and I throughly enjoyed the love story in Coming Home. It reminded me of Antonio's line in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice: "I hold the world, but as the world, Gratiano, a stage where every man must play a part, and mine a sad one." Luke and Sally taught each other that people can outgrow the parts they play, and that's a thought that I hold dear. I hope I didn't miss the point of the movie completely...
No comments:
Post a Comment