During our discussion right after watching The Hours, we really briefly touched on the idea of sexuality in relation to mental health and emotional suppression in the movie. We didn't really get far into the thought, I think we got sidetracked, or maybe the idea itself was a sidetrack of a different point. Regardless, I've been thinking about the concept since then. Mr. Mitchell posed this question: could the mental breakdown/possible insanity of Laura (Julianne Moore) be due to sexual suppression? In her timeline, which took place in 1951, the idea of the good housewife was to rear children, care for the husband, primp and maintain the home, and so on; all while gracefully keeping a smile, all while showing no sign of a problem. Could Laura have been driven to the state the film finds her in because of a lack of fulfillment in this situation? Almost definitely, I would say. The housewife's blight was an actual thing in that time frame -- a large number of housewives reported feeling disappointed in their lives, felt guilty for wanting more, etc. But, do you think Laura's depression could have been and extension of some suppressed sexuality?
I would say there's always a chance that that could be the case. We never learn Laura's backstory, but considering how old she looks and the way Dan described their early relationship, it seems like there wasn't much time for her exploration before she married, especially considering how limited access to queer communities must have been in middle America in the 40's and 50's.
On the other hand, the kiss could also be seen as a desperate reaching-out of sorts, paralleling the kiss between Virginia and Vanessa.Virginia Woolf had, irl, an affair with a married woman, so we know she felt romantic attraction to women, but the kiss between her and her sister was obviously a plea for help, an attempt to appeal to those she could not relate to. After that moment, she steps away and desperately asks if she seems better now; the whole shot feels like Virginia trying her hardest to prove she's okay, to an audience she doesn't know how to please, an audience she just isn't on the same plane with. Now, think about Laura and Kitty's kiss in the same context: a mentally atypical person trying to reach out, trying to make human connection in one of the most human ways they know how, by kissing (and subsequently crying).
But, let's think about what the implications of assuming its a sign of her suppressed sexuality would be. If her depression and almost attempted suicide were due to some recently unearthed idea about her own sexuality, would that imply that someone living in an open community would lack that mental instability? Take Clarissa: a queer woman of some sorts (its unclear; she's in a committed relationship with Sally, but had something romantic with Richard at one point in time), living in New York City in 2001, presumably within a community of other LGBT+ people who support her and her partner Sally. Yet, Clarissa still has a breakdown, is still missing a little something.
We like (or, at least I like) to think that in the novel, had Clarissa gotten involved with Sally and let that side of herself be explored more, things would have been all cheeky and cute and like, some sweet indie movie about young lesbian love. But The Hours shows a side of life that Virginia Woolf herself seemed to emphasize as much as possible in the novel; anyone can cross the cusp between sanity and insanity; the ledge is thin, and as we approach it, blurry as well.
Despite sexual freedom, Clarissa loses her hold multiple times in the movie; despite having everything she "could ever want," Laura comes moments away from suicide. I guess I don't really have a point, besides that I really liked the way the movie depicted this idea that "losing it" doesn't need to have a direct reason, it just happens. Also, here's a link to a song that kind of reminds me of Clarissa in the movie when she's having her breakdown. It just exemplifies that cusp I was talking about; to be on the edge, and to look down and see where you're headed (like Virginia Woolf right before the end). I would say its the overall vibe of the song, but you listen and take away what you will: https://porchesmusic.bandcamp.com/track/le-pluis
Oh yeah the movie did a great job of defining each character's personal realm of sanity and their trip to insanity. I think Richard's story adds another layer to what you're talking about here by showing that he is aware that he isn't really living in reality. He calls himself crazy while other characters either don't acknowledge their sanity or wonder what is wrong with them. Perhaps as a result, his journey to suicide seems, to the viewers at least, almost deliberate (because he is so aware of his disease) as opposed to Laura who felt driven to her decision. Richard's last kiss with Clarissa also seemed to mean more than his other casual kisses with her (it was p aggressive). Maybe this was another instance in which a character is trying to connect with another?
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ReplyDeleteWhen I watched the movie, I definitely saw Laura's breakdown as a result of not being adequate, and not fitting into the trope of the common housewife, so I would say that Laura not being able to explore her sexuality falls under that realm of thought. That kind of got me thinking; would it have been different if Kitty had actually acknowledged the kiss that she shared with Laura? The point you made about Laura's repression being the catalyst for her instability leads me to thinking that it might have. If Kitty hadn't just ignored what had happened, I think Laura would have found at least a tiny bit of comfort. Instead, she had to deal with the inadequacy of being rejected, and not being able to make her husband a cake. I can really understand your line of thinking with that in mind.
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