A Review with Personal Touch: Marriage Story

Marriage Story is the latest originally created movie I have seen since Kita-kita (Kita-kita is a Filipino movie that is one of a kind.) I can crazily admit that I still can’t move on from it and my longing for bringing back my passion for writing is very much affected. The story, the writing, the acting is very admirable. It was a beautifully created piece. I was not affected because of the story per se, but because it was written beautifully that I wanted to pursue studies in writing. I want to write something like that, be able to slap us with life’s reality but clearly shows where we failed and how we can be better, when, we had a lovely start.

I thought it was a beautiful love story at the beginning. I already imagined them growing old together. I already imagined them spending life laughing, sharing their own version of how the day went, listening to each other’s complain about work, about people, about traffic, about crowded train then someone skipped the line you want to push that person to the railway which is of course you don't have the courage to do but at least you can express that strong feeling with someone who will just laugh at you because he knows you so well that he knows you can’t do such thing. Then, their child will go to college, they will again spend time together alone in the house and the old feeling when it’s just the two of them will come back. Everything is perfect. They love each other. They will spend the rest of their life together because they know each other so well and they will take care of each other growing old. Well, this is the perfect story that I have in mind that is why I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with my fiancé.

Then, other person spoke which revealed the whole point of the story.

Why they ended up like that? There are a lot of reasons, but the main reason is that, they did not communicate. They both assume. Charlie thought that it’s no big deal and Nicole is not strong enough to emphasize what she wants about her, about their life and about their relationship. It suddenly occurred to me when I felt like my boyfriend then (fiancé now) is not serious about my plans for him and for us. I want him to do something but ended up not doing it because he thought I was not serious about it or maybe because he is so confident with our relationship that he thought nothing is bothering me or us. But when we had a fight, it all occurred to me like, he does not listen to me. My opinion does not matter in our relationship. But, we made it through. Opening up helps a lot. Not to anybody else but to each other. That’s what Charlie and Nicole did when the divorce process became out of hand. They need to understand where the feelings are coming from.

The opening up process is not easy. For me as the woman in the relationship, what I understood before was that he should feel how I feel. He should follow what will make me happy. He should always understand. He should know how I feel about things, about a decision, about the future. But it’s not like that and if we don’t open-up, keep it from ourselves or give them the silent treatment which is the killer of the relationship, it’s tiring until one gives up, then both of you.

Every relationship is different, but what I know for sure is that all relationships are not easy. It’s a hard work but the happiness, the completeness, the fulfillment you feel every time you are with the person you love, it’s all worth it.

Everything happens for a reason. Charlie and Nicole had the best love with each other. Yes, it ended up somewhere else, but love is still love and it’s the most beautiful gift given to us in this life.