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Gregory Wells6 said:I had a conversation with my daughter’s psychiatrist the other day—we were diving into the whole borderline personality disorder topic—and she made an interesting point. She mentioned that you can't really pin down a BPD diagnosis with absolute certainty until someone hits about 25 years old. Apparently, that's when all those developmental stages finally wrap up—you know, the physiological stuff and the hormonal shifts too. She went into much more technical detail than I could follow—mentioning things like neurotransmitters and brain myelin sheath maturation—but that was the gist of it. She also noted how some folks in America tend to over-diagnose it even in very young children; she actually shared a chilling case where a toddler as young as two and a half was labeled with it, and they ended up medicating them so heavily that it actually caused their death. For now, she’s ruled out BPD for my daughter, suggesting instead that she's dealing with depression and self-destructive tendencies. So, I suppose I'm just left waiting until she turns 25 to see what the official verdict will be.
So, what exactly is her reasoning behind calling her self-destructive?
This movie is fantastic, I highly recommend it! It’s subtle and smart. The acting is top-tier across the board—both the British and Spanish cast members are incredible (especially Jordi Molla playing the Spanish King Philip II—truly impressive, first-rate stuff!). The cinematography is gorgeous!!
I have to agree with Charles Ross3; even the little girl playing Isabella is phenomenal. You really need to pay attention to the scene where she gives her father-king this look of barely perceptible, yet totally unmistakable contempt, almost a sense of disgust, the moment he realizes he's lost and drops to his knees. I honestly can't believe such a small child could deliver a performance that powerful. (By the way, you're going to miss it—we're talking a tenth of a second—if you're too busy shoving popcorn in your face, sipping a Coca-Cola, or texting. This definitely isn't a film for people who can't stay focused in a theater). 😁 😁
Cate Blanchett is wonderful: she plays the queen with a bit of a "twist," I'd say... she has this certain quirky charm that I personally wasn't expecting; I thought she might play it a bit more "formally." But man, what a great movie.
One more thing: I feel like the director, Indian Shekhar Kapur, provided a unique departure from our typical Western perception of 'period pieces.' He brought a specific "touch," a new light, and a really distinct aesthetic to everything. You can tell it feels "different" compared to if it had been directed by some European or American filmmaker.
Man, oh man, what a vibe!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’ve always been a huge fan of that "soft rock for the hairspray crowd" stuff—you know, artists like Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart, Elton John, and all that. There's plenty more where that came from, too. Throw in Cher or UB40... though, I guess Chris Rea probably doesn't count as a total lightweight anymore. 😛