Cinema Consults: THE HOURS

This film, which can be rentedfrom your local video store, israted on a scale of 1 to 4 caducei:

THE HOURS

Mrs. Dalloway

(2002): This filmfollows the lives of3 women living indifferent time periods,linked by anovel that reflectstheir emotional turmoil.The first woman,Virginia Woolf(Nicole Kidman), iscomposing the aforementionednovel, , whilehopelessly struggling against suicidalthoughts. Nearly 30 yearslater, the second woman, LauraBrown (Julianne Moore), isbeing emotionally strangled bythe restrictions and expectationsof 1950's suburbia. And the thirdwoman, Clarissa Vaughn (MerylStreep), a literary editor in 2000,comes face-to-face with herflawed notions of happiness. Thecast is stellar with wonderfulsupporting roles brilliantly executedby John C. Reilly and ToniCollette. Moore's performancewas my favorite out of theensemble; the turmoil her characteris living with is palpable.This film is not a "feel good"flick. The performances are rawand the topic—women dealingwith depression—is bleak. Thesensitive viewer will leave thisfilm with a great weight on theirmind. But hopefully, this filmwill also teach its audience thathappiness and emotional contentmentshould never be takenfor granted, because not everyoneis fortunate enough to experiencethem.

Rating: 3 1/2

Lisa A. Tomaszewski, managing editor

of Physician's Money Digest, is currently

working on her PhD in literature at

Drew University in New Jersey. She

is an avid fan of film and has taught

a summer film course at Fairleigh

Dickinson University. She welcomes

questions, comments, or suggestions

for future film reviews at 732-656-1140

ext 195 or ltomaszewski@mwc.com.