Introduction
Reflection offers a critical moment to express feelings and reactions concerning course material or the instructional material that someone might have encountered. Although I would decide to watch thousands of movies, I chose “Imitation of Life.” However, I had never seen that movie before, but I immediately identified myself with the plot, characters, and its scene due to the solid aspiration that I have about watching films and documentaries. Watching the movie created a nostalgic feeling because of the struggle that the notable characters went through. For example, Annie Johnson’s daughter desperately wanted to identify herself as White, although she was a mixed-race child. Besides the other woman, Lora Meredith had an intolerable daughter who is obnoxious and neurotic.
Characters’ Description
Sarah Jane is the character that identified with me most because she faces a crisis that reflects most of the young girls who attribute beauty to lighter skin color. Throughout the movie, Jane does not accept herself as being Black, and therefore she tries to appear White. Presently, most girls with dark skin color bleach themselves due to perceptions that beauty is entirely based on skin complexity. However, I did not identify myself with a character, Lora Meredith, because she virtually ignores her daughter. In the movie, it is apparent her mother does not listen to her plight, and she ignores her single-minded quest that could be humiliating to some extent.
Her daughter is a human with normal emotions, which needed to be considered. Nevertheless, I have learned that the difficulties of motherhood always accompany grief and loss, which is evident from the reactions of Lora Meredith. After the death of her husband, she is troubled and struggling in the course of the upbringing of her daughter so that she could get time to pursue her stage career.
Main Idea
Behind the traditional story of wealth that Lora gains, the director subtly reveals the disintegration of family ties. Sirk’s (1959) pessimistic, not devoid of cynicism view of the world is read with the help of details. The melodramatic story is told through mise-en-scenes that make fun of its content. Behind different scenes, viewers can see an ironic second bottom. For instance, when analyzing the scene of Annie’s death, one may note that when Lora looks up with tear-stained eyes, they fall on the portrait of the smiling daughter of the deceased. The stereotypical sentimentality of the scene is canceled out by the fact that the death of the virtuous servant is a long-awaited exit for her daughter. In this context, the fact of the existence of a Black mother undermines any prospects for success in the world of Whites, and this contradiction is the basis of the film’s main idea.
Personal Reflection
I think that media could affect counselors’ approach to working with grief and loss positively or negatively. On a positive note, the media can act as a source of knowledge since several councilors can share ideas, opinions, experiences, and ways of approaching grief and loss. On the negative aspect, it can interfere with how counselors approach the matters of grief and loss. For example, someone could share ill-intentioned information that could be misleading, and the counselor could apply it when addressing the problem of grief and loss.
However, I would like to work with Lora Meredith since she appears strong, a go-getter, and optimistic. After the death of her husband, she did not lose hope, but she continued taking care of her daughter while pursuing her stage career. To overcome the grief of the demise requires someone to have an exceptional strength that is apparent in Lora’s life. However, I would least like to work with Sarah Jane since she faces an identity crisis and does not appreciate herself. It would be challenging to work together with the individual with low self-esteem or who does not appreciate their personalities.
Interacting with these characters would require different outlooks on life. Lora cannot be called a weak woman, and working with her could be comparable to the constant search for opportunities and the realization of personal ambitions. Sarah Jane is, in turn, less ambitious and the type of person who needs ongoing support. This difference between the mother and her daughter can be explained by the distinctive views of the two generations on how to earn success in life. Nevertheless, from the perspective of emotional expression, these characters are also different, and the daughter is more relaxed than the mother.
I want Lora Meredith to share the grief issues following the death of their husband and the multiple factors she incorporated to overcome the loss. I would do so by listening to her empathetically, paying attention to the details, and advising on coping with grief and loss. Lora Meredith depicts the acceptance style of grief. The symptoms are evident since she is already carrying out her stage career and raising her daughter after her husbands’ death. In the movie, she does not appear to be depressed or in denial following the demise.
It is apparent that the two main characters, namely Lora Meredith and Annie Johnson, are experiencing an acceptance style of grief. The movie portrays them as people who have already moved on with the life following the death of their husbands. They are portrayed as individuals with strong personalities who have adjusted to reality, wholly disengaged from the deceased, and invested in new relationships. Their acceptance is tied with Kubler-Ross’s Five stages of grief theory, where an individual presumptively accepts the fate of the demise of their loved ones. Therefore, the two characters are in the acceptance stage, and I do not see any barriers that may prevent me from healing completely following the bereavement.
While taking into account grief as one of the main emotions of the film, one can notice how less vividly other feelings are expressed. Sirk (1959) focuses on creating understandable and clear images of loss, be it the loss of a loved one or loss of interest in life. As a result, the film leaves an ambiguous impression after viewing and encourages reflection, which, in turn, makes the movie good from the perspective of art.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, I did not watch this movie with anyone since I needed total concentration to ensure that I understood all its aspects. Based on the issues that I have learned in class, including animations, sound, costumes, and color, the movie coincidently aligns with them, making the film appealing. After watching the movie, I did not notice any negative things, but there were positive aspects that I thought were crucial. I appreciated that grief was a necessary part of the human experience, and no one could evade it since all humans were mortal. I noted that while following the demise of the loved one, it was essential to take time to mourn to avoid living the denial’s life.
Conclusion
Given a chance, I would change the aspects of the sound and the choice of the colors to coincide with the plot of the movie to pass a strong message of loss and grief. Moreover, I would connect the movie with the research done by Freud, the famous psychologist who wrote much information regarding grief and bereavement. Therefore, from this movie, I have realized that people have to adjust to the reality of grief and reinvest into a new life.
Reference
Sirk, D. (1959). Imitation of life [Film]. Universal Pictures.