From Rebecca: Our Souls at Night

There is a new film on Netflix streaming that I have been watching in parts for the last week and finished today, called Our Souls at Night. It stars Jane Fonda as Addie Moore and Robert Redford as Louis Waters. It is a gentle slow-moving story of two people connecting to one another after decades of living in the same town. It is based on a book by Kent Haruf, which I see our local library has in its collection.

Our Souls at Night starts with two lonely people who have trouble sleeping at night, until Addie knocks on Louis’s door and asks him over to sleep in her bed. She isn’t proposing sex, just that they talk and keep each other company in order to fall asleep. He needs some time to think about it, but then agrees. It is awkward at first, but as they eat dinner together and lie down in the same bed, they begin to talk about the events of their lives and the choices they made. They become friends and companions. The town starts to gossip about them, and they brave it out. Partway through the film Addie’s grandson Jamie arrives to stay with her, played by Iain Armitage (the actor who now plays Sheldon Cooper in Young Sheldon on CBS). Having Jamie living there changes and adds to the relationship developing between Louis and Addie.

There is not much action in this movie, just the two main characters interacting with each other and other people. The big actions in the story come from decisions contemplated and emotional risks taken. There are no shouting matches, smashed dishes, or dramatic reveals. Just mature adults in relationships with the various people in their lives doing the best they can. By the end of the film, they have both faced mistakes from their pasts, and worked to make the damage better. The performances by Robert Redford and Jane Fonda are strong, understated, and good, from the first awkward pauses to the last comfortable conversation.

I plan to recommend this film for Joe, given his love of On Golden Pond. The films are very different, but they do both have as a plot point an older couple taking care of a boy for a while. In On Golden Pond, Jane Fonda played a character leaving the boy with her parents, and in Our Souls at Night, she plays the mother agreeing to take care of the child. I think Joe would appreciate having the same actress portray two sides of the same event.

I know not everyone has subscribed to Netflix’s streaming service. My thoughts on the various streaming services and the shows that some people have access to but not others might be a good blog topic for another day. But for now, if you do happen to have access to this film, I do recommend it for anyone who enjoys a gentle film about a developing relationship between two mature adults.

Until next Wednesday and a blog entry from Joe, I hope you are comfortable in whatever weather you have, take care, and happy reading.

From Rebecca: Netflix streaming

For many years my husband and I have subscribed to the Netflix service of DVDs through the mail, which we liked very much. Last year we got high-speed internet and one of the first things we did with it was to expand our Netflix subscription to include the streaming service. We like that very much too. While we don’t do it often, I can see why so many people get into binge watching shows for hours at a time on streaming services like this. Being able to watch as much of a new season of a new show as we want in one sitting or in the same week is pretty nice.

Netflix is putting a lot of money into original programing, in many genres, and there is a lot to choose from. One of the first shows we watched on streaming was Grace & Frankie, starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Two seasons were available right away by the time we came on board, and we had them watched in a few weeks. I hope they do another season at some point. Last week we finished watching the first, and so far only, season of a new original show, Santa Clarita Diet. It was a little gross in places, but we liked it. We would not have been able to watch it without this streaming service, at least not before Netflix got around to putting it on disc.

Netflix also took over production of a few network shows that got canceled, and put out new seasons for fans. One of these shows, Longmire, was one I watched when it was on TV, and missed when it was abruptly canceled. I am almost through the last season now, and I appreciate seeing these characters continue for the two new seasons so far that Netflix gave me and other fans.

They also have a wide selection of older shows and movies. Darren and I are watching The West Wing, which we both watched when it was originally broadcast on network TV 15 years ago. It is bringing back a lot of memories of the Bill Clinton presidency, from which the show got a lot of material. Two weeks ago we watched the movie Lost in Space from 1998. We saw it listed, decided to watch it, clicked it, and then we were watching it. That fast and easy. Amazingly cool. Currently I am watching the first two seasons of a show that is still running on network TV, Jane the Virgin, which I didn’t get around to watching when it first came on the air. Now I am catching up on Netflix, finding that I like it, and will continue to watch each new season.

There is something to look out for though, especially when watching older shows and movies. They can go away, sometimes without warning, and we can’t finish the series. I remember reading somewhere that it is because of how Netflix has to license the rights for streaming. Half way through me working my way, over the period of some months, through the run of shows featuring the character Inspector Morse, it was discontinued from streaming. And last week I went on to look up a certain episode of Murder, She Wrote, and found that the whole series was gone, too. Poof, vanished. I can get them on discs, but they went off the streaming part.

We still get the DVD discs in the mail, though we did drop it from two discs at a time to one. Netflix has a much better selection and library in discs than in streaming, and some of the stuff we want to watch is only available on discs. We enjoy the selection, but the one downside we have with this service is the time it takes; between having it mailed to us, then we watch it, and mail it back, we might have only one disc per week and a half. Still, this works for us for the most part.

We also have to balance all this TV watching with other activities of life. Right now I am writing this blog post while my husband is on reading. (Working from home is another advantage of high-speed internet – yay technology! Good luck on the additional writing time, Joe.) It is a strangely hot day out for February, and we should get outside to enjoy some of it later. The more we enjoy the wonders and bounty of Netflix, the more we also need to keep it in perspective. I love entertainment shows and make-believe, but real life can be compelling, too.

Until next week, as Joe would tell you, have a great weekend, take care, and happy reading.