And so The Lovely Bones, the movie, kicks off next week.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikUWKi0W5_g&feature=related[/youtube]
I’ve been hanging for this movie to come out. The book by Alice Sebold has huanted me for years. What has struck me most poignantly is the kooky 14-year-old thoughts Susie Salmon has (via her narration) about family, and boys and beauty. They reminded me of my own personal dialogue at my age now. Which made me realise I had the same dialogue when I was Susie’s age. I wondered about impermanence, I reflected in a melancholy way and would hover on sad, small thoughts for a while…and pull them apart delicately.
The other day I found an old diary from when I was in my late teens. It could’ve been written by me just the other week. This gave me a sense of comfort in some way, a reassuring sense that I am the same person, regardless of experiences and years. But it also made me feel a little sad for the 16-year-old me who didn’t have the life experience to cope with the enormity of the feelings and thoughts she swam in. A recurring theme for me in my head: how to cope with the enormity of life, how to grasp it, convey it and share it. I guess that’s why I turned to journalism…and have tortured myself ever since looking for right words.
Anyway, the film. A small rundown: Narrated by 14-year-old Susie Salmon, who was raped and murdered and now watches her grieving family from heaven, The Lovely Bones became an instant bestseller in 2002. Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson bought the rights to Alice Sebold’s novel and many wondered how the murder-mystery tale would play out onscreen. Atonement’s young star Saoirse Ronan headlines the dark coming-of-age story, and with the film slated for release in December of this year, she may be gunning for an Oscar nomination. Production of the film was not without its faults—Ryan Gosling dropped out of the role as Salmon’s father, and was replaced by Mark Wahlberg, seen in the trailer with an appropriately ’70s shaggy haircut. Rachel Weisz plays Susie’s mother, Abigail, and Susan Sarandon and Michael Imperioli round out the rest of the pedigreed cast. Only one question remains—will the film version get the same Oprah stamp of approval as the novel? Courtesy of The Daily Beast, as
