Reviews
The Trip to Bountiful
From a play to a screenplay and then a memorable movie, The Trip to Bountiful is one of those works in cinema that have kept the drama genre vitalized for its humanistic appeal.
Adopted into a screenplay by Horton Foote from his 1953 play (keeping the same title), this 1985 movie shows the struggle of an elderly lady, Carrie Watts, in 1940s in Texas to visit her childhood home one last time while his son and daughter-in-law try to dissuade her from acting on her determination. One day, however, Carrie sneaks out of the house and sets toward Bountiful on her own, not aware that the town has since been abandoned due to the Depression.
The metaphor of journey, an ages-old-yet-always-relevant metaphor in literature, runs parallel in both the plot of the movie and the character of Carrie Watts. As Carrie sets out on her journey to her Bountiful home, audiences can see and feel her emotional journey from an angry and insecure mother to a happy and satisfied one. Arguably, Carrie is returning to her childhood and youth in the Bountiful house and thus her emotional journey runs counter to time’s arrow.
Gerladine Page excelled in intense character roles and she brings all the emotions of Carrie Watts to life on the screen to the scale of perfection. Her performance won her the Academy Award for Best Lead Actress. John Heard as Ludie Watts (son) and Carlin Glynn as Jessie Mae (daughter-in-law) play their roles well. Rebecca De Mornay as Thelma makes a good foil to the character of Jessie Mae.
The Trip to Bountiful is a movie for good drama film fans. It’s also a good pick for anyone interested in humanistic themes and character-driven stories dealing with emotion and aging.
Fun Fact: The story of The Trip to Bountiful is set in Houston, TX, but the movie was shot in Dallas.
IMDb Page: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090203/
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