Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Miscarriage and the Movies Part 2

Awhile back I wrote a post calling out some of the top movies, TV shows, and books that proliferate the same old misconceptions about miscarriage as fact. Imagine my surprise when the topic of miscarriage came up in two recent movies in a sensitive and real way.

1. The Help. I originally took issue with the portrayal of Celia Foot, who suffers multiple miscarriages and is the outsider among the white, bridge-playing ladies of Jackson, Mississippi. In the book she seemed too stupid and slutty and socially inept. In the movie version however, she came across as honest and kindhearted; a real person in the midst of all the Stepford Wives. The scene with Celia in the bathroom and Minnie comforting her was heartbreaking and sensitively drawn.

2. Young Adult. If you haven't seen this movie, stop reading because I'm about to ruin it for you. This was definitely a strange movie. You'll dislike the crazy alcoholic main character and assume she's a home wrecker and baby hater for much of the movie. As she chases down her high school sweetheart, who is recently married with a baby, you wonder... where the heck is the movie going? Then she has a complete breakdown on the lawn of his house in front of his wife and friends and family members, revealing why she is so upset. She and him were going to get married. They were going to have a baby. Then she miscarried at 12 weeks. She's definitely a major hot mess in this movie, but I liked the reveal of the miscarriage as why she lost it in her hometown.

BONUS: Jay-Z wrote a song for he and Beyonce's new daughter who was born this weekend. In the song he mentions their previous miscarriage being so tragic. I feel for them and am glad that they are letting the world know. Do you think miscarriage is losing some of its stigma?

5 comments:

  1. I remember reading your post on Celia in The Help (I had never read the book). When I watched the movie, I was practically in tears!
    I like to think that miscarriage is no longer a hushed word, but I still believe that some people are ignorant on how they happen. Such as a woman falls and she miscarries. Points that you made in the previous post regarding movies :)

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  2. I loooooooved the actress who played Celia. I was cheering for her at the Golden Globes last night (from my living room, not at the ceremony). She was awesome.

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  3. I just found your blog after seeing your comment on the Momversation on miscarriage and laughed (through my tears) reading each of your entries! Thanks for bringing a bit of humor and openness to this issue. I had a miscarriage a few weeks and love hearing from the medical staff who've been treating me: "It's okay, you're still young." Ummm ... no not really! But thanks for the fake encouragement!
    I've been writing here as I try to work through my own issues: http://bebesuisse.blogspot.com/
    Good luck to you.

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  4. Gosh, I sure hope so. And I like to think I did my part after my own miscarriage... talking in detail about the medical stuff on my blog. Letting my feelings out there and in person and on Facebook. And generally bringing it up any time someone asked about my tattoo. Screw people who don't want to hear about... those are the people who aren't going to hear about any of the good things in my life since they can't handle the bad.

    But for real, do you know how many people came forward when I talked about mine and admitted to having had their own?

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  5. Miscarriage during pregnancy could happen to any woman. Most miscarriages happen in the early stage of pregnancy while women are unaware that they are pregnant already for weeks. Miscarriages cause painful experience and trauma to couples especially to the woman.

    conceiving after miscarriage

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