Dome Pondering Movie Review: Private Life (2018)

What is it about?

A couple struggling with fertility go to great lengths, even at the risk of their marriage.
Who is in it?

Kathryn Hahn - Rachel

Paul Giamatti - Richard

Favorite Scene:

Rachel storms around the house in the middle of a tirade, does so pants-less, and then goes and scrubs the tub in the bathroom.

Favorite Quote:

Sadie: Oh, my God, look at us. We're like an ad for assholes.

Rachel Biegler: You mean we're assholes, or we're part of an ad that's targeted to assholes?

Sadie: No, it's just that whole... people with cappuccinos in their lofts, with their laptops, dogs, with messy hair. You know, that whole fantasy. It's not your fault. You guys are authentic and real, you've just been co-opted by cultural mechanisms that create desirability. I took a media and consumer society course. It was pretty life-altering.

Review:

It's films like Private Life that make you really appreciate Netflix and the original content they produce. This film is absolutely fantastic on so many fronts and in so many ways, most noticeably, the focus it places on infertility, and the many aspects surrounding it.

Private Life is a fantastic tragedy. The film lets you in on the struggles and strains that come along with infertility, especially on the scope a person's marriage in trying to conceive. From the drugs, the discussions, the hope, and pitfalls - all of it felt like a surreal education into a life many overlook or are blessed to not have experienced.

Hahn and Giamatti - as always! - are absolutely fantastic. The film progress continues to will you to root for this couple who have gone to so many lengths just to have a child together.

Private Life is fantastic. If you want a film that is artistic, informative, entertaining, profound and very funny - this is it.

Grade: 4.5/5

Recently Read Posts

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 5/22/22

3 Up 1. NY Times Investigative Series on Haiti - The history of Haiti is such a complex (and unfortunate) one. Really, it's a story that goes untold, specifically for the context of how the country is viewed. From being forced to pay operations to enslavers (yeah, you read that right), to so many other historical setbacks - including American interventions - the nation's history is so well laid out in this latest NY Times piece. I urge you to give it a read. 2. Equal Pay for US Women's Soccer Team - Kudos to US Soccer on coming around to giving the USWNT their due - equal pay for prize money from the World Cup. It's a start, and more importantly, it's a push forward for women's sports that do in fact push the needle in comparison, or more so, to their male counterparts. 3. Kate McKinnon - Random "UP" here, but I'm doing it anyway...A few SNL usuals are rumored to be walking away, including Kate McKinnon. The show obviously doesn't carry the

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 4/10/22

3 Up 1. Ketanji Brown Jackson - The new Supreme Court Justice is a win for black and brown girls everywhere. Representation matters. 2. Women's College Basketball Ratings - I'm giving the women's tournament its due as it garnered the highest television ratings ever for the national championship game in eighteen years. And that was head-to-head with the Grammys! Spare me the "women's sports don't draw" tired narrative. Invest in women's sports, period. 3. Baseball Returns - Sure, the sport bothered fans over the winter with its ugly and insulting labor spat. However, it's back, and that's cool. 3 Down 1. Ukraine Images - Unfortunately, I had to put the ongoing acts in Ukraine back in the tops spot. Have you seen some of the images coming out of the country? For me, it was the image of parents writing children's information (i.e. names, details of eating habits, etc...) on their backs - on their backs! - in anticipation of being separated

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 5/15/22

3 Up 1. California Church Heroes - It's soooooooo weird that the top spot is a result of something so horrific as our ongoing domestic terrorism problem of mass shootings. Still, the courage shown by the five members who stopped the shooter deserves it. Those individuals tackled the shooter and tied him up with an electric cord, while wounded. It's so tough to fathom that those possibilities are within the realm of your Sunday worship, within the sanctity of your church. But such is America... 2. Olivia Rodrigo & Drake - Rodrigo continues to reap rewards on an excellent album in 2021 as she topped the Billboard Music Awards with seven awards. There was also Drake who I'm beginning to sense we won't really appreciate his body of work until he's near the end of his career. But yeah, Drake poured in a few more for the legacy debates and discussions.

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 5/1/22

3 Up 1. Harvard Statement on Enslavement Past - We're currently in a world where dealing with slavery and oppression and all that it was in the past has created further division of the present, as well as ideals to move forward. We're all still trying to figure that out, but as we do, props are given to those who do it without the trendiness of the gesture. Harvard can be slammed for a whole lot in this arena, but they get the top spot this week for taking steps in a major way - just admitting its connection - is a great start. 2. "Out of Pandemic" Phase - The world surely feels as "normal" as it's felt in a long time. While Dr. Facui's comments were well...confusing and required some cleaning up, the gesture is very much understood - we ain't that bad anymore! Things are definitely not going to snap back to pre-2020, but it definitely feels as close to non-pandemic-ish as it ever has.

Dome Pondering

Search This Blog