Monster Geometry
There is a lot of hate out there for Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! I have something to say to the haters. Go read Frankenstein carefully. Study the life of Mary Shelley and her history with feminism. Then take a long serious look at the ways women are used, exploited, abused, and, of course, denied agency. Now go back and watch the movie again and realize the choices Gyllenhaal made were deliberate and essential. As she says, this movie is just about what was on her mind. Although she is a decade younger than me, I am sure that is why this film resonated so much with me, because these things are on my mind too. How can they not be if you are an American woman of a certain age – unless, of course, you have done a lot of repression or willfully disregard the whole history of humanity. Truthfully, The Bride! is not for everyone, but don’t be put off by the haters. If you love Mary Shelley and feminism and movies then you will enjoy this movie. I know I will watch it again. Maybe dragging a hater with me. Highly recommend watching in the theater!
I want to avoid spoilers here, because this is a writing invitation and not a movie review so check out the trailer as there are some delicious lines and images to write to. Similarly, check out this conversation with Christian Bale (aka Frank) and Jessie Buckley (aka Mary Shelley and The Bride) for more ideas to explore. In addition, Pop Culture Happy Hour points to all the ways The Bride! is for movie lovers.
I should also note that I went into the movie theater primed for this message by reading Frankenstein while simultaneously reading Wayward Girls and watching the first season of House of the Dragon. In the movie, Doctor Euphronius tells the bride about well-behaved geometry and disobedient geometry and so I will leave you to consider the multiple types of angles that are the truth of humanity rather than always and forever a simple dichotomy. Then, finally, to contemplate the simple truths that we all have something monstrous inside us and we are all on a constant search for our identity. Living and writing are nothing if not an exploration of these ideas.
Good stories start interesting conversations. Sometimes those conversations feel uncomfortable or challenging and sometimes we are not ready to have them. But, of course, that may be exactly the conversation you need to explore through your writing.
If you need other inspiration, check out: Can You Have Too Many Current Reads?
