Featured image courtesy of the Savannah Film Festival website.
There cannot be anything worse than losing your child and the emotional trauma of such, was clear throughout the film. Despite not being married or having a child, I could still empathize and understand the crippling grief the two parents were going through. Although the loss of these characters son was the the focus of the film, it was not the heart. Grief and loss are universal themes and the idea of dealing with loss, is something anyone can relate to. Everyone has lost someone they love at some point of their lives.
The raw emotion of Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson’s characters — Sarah and Phil respectively — was almost palpable throughout. Particularly the scene where Sarah wakes up in the middle of the night and sifts through their car looking for one of their sons’ cookies. And when she eats it, it’s as though she is reunited with him in a spiritual sense, but relives the loss all over again as she finishes it.
Sarah and Phil, grieve in different ways. Phil turns to group therapy and seeks answers from a detective, where as Sara lives in denial, spiraling into a deep depression and endorsing in a range of destructive behaviors. You couldn’t help but feel deeply for both the characters, but find yourself drawn to Sarah in particular. Maybe it was her experimentation with coping mechanisms such as self-harm, alcohol and sex or maybe it was unwavering faith that her son was still alive and was okay. Whatever it may have been you were drawn to her, watching her go through this journey unable to turn away from the screen overwhelming and sympathetic.
Reed Morano is known for her cinematography, but took a turn at directing for “Meadowland.” Her cinematography skills were apparent throughout the film with her integration of beautiful landscape shots that were appropriately fit into the scenes. The close-ups on Sarah and Phil’s faces were a great choice, emphasizing their intense emotional states at certain points of the film, heightening the emotion of the scenes.
When Sarah discovers that one of her students self-harms, this triggers her to use self-harm as a coping mechanism. Self-harming is a very sensitive and taboo subject and to film such an act and capture the agony is something risky. If not done correctly and tastefully could be offensive. This was not the case for “Meadowland:” the scene depicted the pain and the agony without being overdone or understated. The extremely close-up shots showed a feeling of both ecstasy yet anguish, and the integration of a voice-over of Jessie speaking brought many in the audience to tears.
The film has multiple moments of tragedy and despair, but there were still moments of humor and bliss. Sara’s interactions with Adam, and his love and knowledge of elephants were both sincere and warm. Another aspect that brightened the mood was the motif of Sarah’s yellow sweater. Morano could have easily chosen a black or grey hoodie but instead opted for a lighter color. It appeared throughout the film like a ray of light, a beacon of hope or a representation of Sara’s undying hope.
“Meadowland,” portrays a nightmare for some and a reality for others. It beautifully depicts life after loss and the struggle of not only staying alive, but living on, moving forward and letting go. The film is must-see that will resonate with anyone who as experiences any form of loss and even more so for those who are still working through grief. It’s exciting to see what Morano will come up with next.
Written by Asli Shebe.
Asli Shebe is a senior writing major from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She began working for District in 2014 as a staff writer, then copy editor, A&E editor, Chief Assignment editor and finally, Editor-in-Chief in 2017. Asli currently holds the record for obtaining the most job titles during her time at District. When she’s not writing for District you can find her biking around the Historic District of Savannah at odd hours of the day.
