“This kind of certainty comes but once in a lifetime.” — The Bridges of Madison County.
This film is spectacular. It’s painful, it had me asking myself, “what if this happens to me? Would I be able to choose the right thing over my own happiness?” Would I be able to live with the choice I made, if I were Francesca?
It was hard to watch Francesca’s breakdown inside of their truck with her husband not knowing anything. The rain also helped in putting weight on the scene. And Meryl Streep’s acting was out of this world. She made Francesca’s struggle so real and raw that we viewers can feel the pain over our screens.
She could’ve opened the door. She could’ve gone off with Robert and start a new life. A life that she deserves, a life where her happiness comes first. But she chose to stay. She chose the hardest thing to do but it was the right thing.
Francesca’s choice is not just because of what people would think of her. That she would be called names and be cursed at. Her choice is not because of herself dealing with the harsh reality of our society, but because of the people, she’ll be leaving behind. When she thought of her husband undeserving of the pain she’ll cause him, when she thought how her daughter won’t be able to handle the pain, it’s her selflessness that made her stay.
The 4 days with Robert were Francesca’s glimpse of forever within numbered days. Nothing would ever make her feel more alive than those numbered days with Robert. It was the universe’s way of making two souls one but in separate lives.
Let me ask you again; if this kind of certainty comes into your life, what would you choose?
— d.❁
