The Southern Way

To describe The Prince of Tides as a good film would be an understatement.

If anything, the beautifully-made layers of conflict and resolve that govern the movie deserved more than just an applause, but a standing ovation. No wonder it garnered a handful of nominations and awards when it was at the peak of its glory. With such a captivating story and riveting cinematography to boot, it's impossible for one's eyes not to stay glued to the screen while watching it. (Except when you're a kid and you don't understand it yet, as I did. I remember how my mom used to watch the film over and over again because of her love for all things Barbra Streisand while I would easily fall asleep next to her.)

The movie exceptionally showed how members of a family experience the same grief but react to it in totally different ways.

Tom Wingo, despite being agonized by his problems, laughs about everything. This method, as he would fondly call it, is "the Southern Way." He had always wanted to forget about the life he lived as a kid but the memories of which never seemed to leave him.

Savannah, Tom's twin sister, on the other hand, took a different identity as Renata Halpern. She wrote books to express herself, release her emotions, and share the wretched past she experienced with her family. She also had countless suicide attempts just to forget and escape from the terrible life she has. This eventually forced her to regularly consult with her psychiatrist, Susan Lowenstein, to get better.

Then we get to Lowenstein, who although is not a member of the family, knows most of their secrets and is therefore affected too. She has family troubles on her own but delays solving them by burdening herself with other people's conflicts.

I could identify myself with these three characters on various levels. Sometimes I'm a Tom who thinks my problems would just go away by always looking at the brighter side of things. I too can be like Savannah, I face my life with a mask that hides who I really am and what I really feel towards certain issues. I also find peace in writing my feelings down. And then I'm a Lowenstein for the very reason that I busy myself with less important aspects of my life like school and org work while neglecting to face my family conflicts. Like her, I'd rather solve other people's problems than mine because they seem a lot easier to handle.

But then I know that I should face life head-on. I just have to learn how to solve my problems as they come and go, else they'll just be stuck there and pile up into something I can't handle anymore. It pays to be courageous. Much more, it saves time and emotions too.