A Trip to India…to France…to Jail.

My #StreamTeam Post for the Month of May

Alternately Titled: There’s an ep for that!

 

Let’s talk about traveling on a budget.

Let’s go to India.

Let’s have fun. Let’s love.

 

Guys, I just watched two movies via Netflix and really truly loved them both. Coincidentally (or not), they were both about the Indian culture…

…and is that why I’m suddenly cooking curries?

No. In truth, I’ve pretty much always loved curry.

 

First, The Letters, which is a biographical account of Mother Teresa’s life. Juliet Stevenson nails her portrayal—the accent, the kindly eye crinkles, the good-natured “slap slaps” on the cheek. This is the story behind the saint—a saint that is almost universally known and loved, but what not everyone realizes is that she suffered unbearable loneliness for nearly six decades.

She wrote letters about it to her spiritual director who made them known after her death. In her words, she felt there was “no God in her.”

Can you imagine? I can’t imagine.

Go, GO and watch The Letters. Watch with your kids and see where the conversation leads you.

* * *

On a similar but much lighter note, there is The Hundred-Foot Journey with Helen Mirren.

This is available via their DVD plan only, but I have to mention it ’cause I enjoyed it so much.

Mirren plays an impeccably classy French restaurateur (Madame Mallory) who balks at the presence of an Indian restaurant across the street. Hers is a three-star establishment, while theirs has the larger-than-life actor Om Puri (he plays Papa) and his swoony chef son, Manish Dayal.

 

Yes, swoony. My daughters agreed.

I love foodie shows and I love LOVE the French and Indian cultures, so this is a movie that spoke to my heart. I watched it two nights in a row because my 11-year-old missed out on the first viewing…and that brings me to the Netflix theme for May, which is a quirky spin on an old phrase:

“There’s an ep for that!”

In other words, sometimes it’s hard to talk about…life with your kids. I mean, I can’t just march up to my 13-year-old and say, “Yo, what’s going on in your heart right now?” and expect her to spill its contents justlikethat on demand.  We can, however, watch movies together and use them to jump-start conversations.

We always chitchat when we’re watching movies, and that makes it totally worthwhile in my book.

(Swoony chefs notwithstanding.)

* * *

And finally, on a completely different and not-Indian-at-all note, my 16-year-old son turned 17 yesterday:

 

…and I’m left wondering, “How can this be?”

Time marches on relentlessly, and for that reason I invited him to watch The Shawshank Redemption with me.  This 1994 classic is also available on streaming right now but note: it is not for the faint-of-heart. We’re talking prison violence, a ton of language, and sweet little old men with pet mice in their pocket.

Oh darling Brooks, how I love you…

Anyway, given that Stephen plans to join the Marines next year, I figured he could probably handle it. Plus? Tim Robbins.

Need I say more?

Okay, I will. Tim Robbins and the inimitable Morgan Freeman. It’s a very good movie about overcoming bad odds. Four stars from this no-longer-faint-of-heart Mom.

Are you kidding? I’m raising teen-aged sons.

Thankfully there’s always an ep for that. ; )