The Hours

Released 2002
Stars Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Ed Harris, Alison Janney, John C. Reilly, Stephen Dillane, Miranda Richardson
Directed by Stephen Daldry

For most of us suburbia is bliss. We treasure the security and comfort it provides our families, but to others it's a soul-crushing prison. This movie shows us women whose manic depression forces unthinkable choices and another who struggles through her depression to be a modern day Mrs. Dalloway. Mental illness is a horror for everyone involved, and this movie reminded me of someone I shared an office with several years ago. He had a mental illness and had spent several months in a mental institution. Although he was on medication when I knew him, every day was a struggle, and his behavior made me concerned for both his safety and mine. There were bizarre things like I couldn't touch his coat, and he had a long running feud with a coffee shop over a penny. Eventually I left the company, but I heard years later his illness got the best of him. He drove out to the country and committed suicide, leaving behind a wife and two young children. It's so hard to comprehend how things could be so bad, but a movie like this helps give some insight into what it's like to live that way.

Summary by Bill Alward, July 5, 2003