Self Love – Short Movie Review
What’s it All About
Self Love – Mariana Jones is a single mother of two children, who’s living her best years now after suffering in a 10-year horrible marriage. In her 30’s, and exploring her new life without inhibitions, Mariana sticks out like a sore thumb in the local neighborhood of PTA mothers and over-privileged snarks. Whether it’s jealousy or moral superiority, her freedom and promiscuous lifestyle gets under their skin. As a single mother in a neighborhood of gossips, Mariana has no qualms with being herself and loving who she is. Her neighbors band together, and make Mariana their project in the hopes that she will conform to “community standards.”
My Opinion
I thoroughly enjoyed how the two dynamics of self-righteousness vs anything-goes clashed in this movie, and how they were ultimately able to find common ground. Slowly, as the layers were peeled back, and the preconceived notions were tempered, then replaced, a thing of beauty unfolded that enriched the entire community. All’s well that ends well, and having passed through dissension that was thereafter resolved, it seemed to ratify the relationships of the characters, and made them stronger while realizing that judging a book by it’s cover is not always the best approach.
The Verdict
The lesson learned here of first seeking to understand, then be understood was very well portrayed in Self Love; in an unconventional way. The film also teaches us to be kind, as whether we realize it on not, everyone is fighting a battle. When we’re open to that understanding, it’s easy to see we have more in common with our adversaries that initially thought. It was heartening to see the goodwill spread throughout a community beginning with just one elderly resident taking a stand to find common ground, instead of passing judgement.
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