Interpersonal Relationships in the The Hours - Movie Review Example

?Your Full Your Teacher’s and Number December 4, Interpersonal Relationships in the movie The Hours Interpersonal relationships are the social connections, bonds or associations that humans form with one another. They are an important part of the fabric of society. They hold people together, and as humans are basically social animals, therefore, it fulfills their social needs, which include being part of a social group as well as being accepted by their social groups. The interpersonal relationships that a person forms range from mere acquaintances to spouses; therefore, it is fair to say that some of them last a very short period of time, whereas others can span a lifetime (as in the case of a sibling, for instance). Moreover, they can be personal as well as professional. To maintain interpersonal relationships, it is necessary that people use effective communication. For that, not only is it necessary for people to be able to send an intelligible message, but for the other person, for whom the message is intended, to be able to receive and decipher it clearly as well. Lacking clear communication, the relationship can be complicated by creating conflict therein. An excellent way to illustrate interpersonal relationships and the communication they involve would be through the movie The Hours, where many such interpersonal relationships along with the intricacies thereof have been portrayed. Stephen Daldry’s The Hours is based on the novel by the same name by Michael Cunningham, and relates three different stories, set in three different times and settings about three different women and their lives, the only thing similar between them being the novel Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. The movie relates a day in the lives of these three women and those around them, and is a good illustration of various interpersonal relationships as well as the dynamics thereof. To take the story arcs one by one, this paper would start with the character of Virginia Woolf and her life. Suffering from mental illnesses which are never named (the real Virginia Woolf had a history of nervous breakdowns and suffered from bipolar disorder), Virginia lives in a country house in England with her husband, Leonard, where they have shifted because of her mental and psychological condition. It is clear that Virginia has a very loving relationship with her husband. The concern that Leonard has for her is clear, and what is more, he expresses it clearly, too. In the beginning, after the doctor’s visit, when Virginia comes down, he expresses her concern clearly when he insists that she eat something. Furthermore, towards the end of the movie, when they are at the train station, Leonard tells her how he lives in constant fear that she would kill herself, and that the reason they moved to the suburbs is because of her health. It is easy to see just how much concern and love Leonard has for Virginia, and what is more he also expresses it to her clearly as well. This love is clearly reciprocated, through words as well as gestures, by Virginia as well. Right down to her suicide note, whereby she says that he has given her the greatest possible happiness, and that she does not think two people could be any happier than them. When it comes to her sister, Vanessa, however, there is a distinct lack of open interpersonal communication. While Virginia tries to talk about her illness and her absence from London, Vanessa seems intent on changing the topic and not talking openly. Vanessa does not express her fears and her trepidations about Virginia’s health, nor does she openly inquire after them to allay them, and perhaps because of that reason she tends to be “scared” of her sister. It is clear that Virginia does not like that, and she tries to communicate her dissatisfaction to her sister, but as it is necessary for interpersonal communication for the other person to be receptive to one’s message, which clearly Vanessa is not, it has not effect. In the second story arc there is Laura, who lives with her husband, Dan, who is a World War II veteran, and her young son Richie. Here, it is clear that there is little to no interpersonal communication between the Laura and her husband. Whereas there are expressions of love from Dan, which are very open, however, Laura does not openly express her feelings. Laura is not only embarrassed by them, but does not want him to talk about it so openly. This is clear towards the end when the whole family is seated at the dinner table and Dan wants to relate to Richie just how he fell in love with Laura and decided to marry her. Laura does not talk to Dan openly, she hides behind a mask of some sort where she quite pointedly hides all her inner feelings and turmoil, more so because she is gay and does not know how to express it to anyone least of all the man she married. She also hides her sadness from her son and does not express anything to him. It is because of the dissatisfaction that comes with being in an interpersonal relationship which is one sided as well as the fact that she cannot freely express herself that she decides to kill herself, although in the end she decides not to. However, because there is no communication from her side, the only option left to her, as she sees it, is to run away, which is a perfect illustration of how harmful a breakdown of communication can be. In the end, there is Clarissa Vaughan, who is living with her partner of ten years, Sally, and who takes care of her friend, Richard (Richie), who is dying of AIDS. Clarissa and Richie, who is also gay, were lovers in their younger years before they explored their sexualities enough. Clarissa is not completely open to Sally, despite having a very intimate relationship with her. There is, somehow, a resentment that she holds for reasons unbeknownst, although it could be attributed to her dissatisfaction with her current life which seems “not happy enough” to her. The love that she has for Richie is clearly communicated to him; he also reciprocates the love and the warmth. There is a clear line of communication between the two from Richie’s side, who seems to be comfortable enough to express his doubts and fears to Clarissa. There is love between the two of them, and just like Virginia, when Richie kills himself he quotes Virginia’s suicide note to Clarissa about how he thinks two people could never be happier than both of them. Clarissa, on the other hand, does not communicate her own feelings and thoughts to anyone, not even to Richie who she seems to value more than her partner, a thought she expresses to her daughter Julia as well. Again, this lack of communication has a negative effect on Clarissa, just like it did on Laura, with Clarissa being somehow sad inside, that is why she completely breaks down in front of Louis, an ex-partner of Richie. She does not have any outlet to express herself somehow, as she likes to come off as completely “together.” Again, this is a perfect illustration of just how harmful it is for communication lines to close up in an interpersonal relationship. The myriads of interpersonal relationships that people make add satisfaction to their lives, however, it is necessary for there to be an open line of communication as well. The role that communication plays in interpersonal relationships is very clear in the movie The Hours as has been described above. Works Cited The Hours. Dir. Stephen Daldry. Perf. Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman. Paramount Pictures, 2002. DVD. Read More