The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
When I am not feeling well, I often watch a movie that I've seen before. It takes less concentration and I am already sure of a happy ending. Of course I choose one I like, one that will not offend my sensibilities or create unwanted tension.
Recently I chose 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel follows a group of British retirees who decide to "outsource" their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences, discovering that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past.
It has all of the components of a good story. Compelling plot, characters that you become interested in right from the start, great acting and most of all meaning. Although completely entertaining, it is also heartfelt and full of meaning and inspiration. It is provoking and healing and encouraging. I laughed a little, cried a little and was moved.
As the characters each face their own unique challenges they are transformed into an unexpected reinvention of their former selves, surprising for seniors.
And the script is full of interesting phrases:
'Everything will be alright in the end.' So if it's not alright, it is not yet the end."
"India, like life itself I suppose, is about what you bring to it."
"There is no such thing as an ending. Just a place where you leave the story...."
"Let go. That's when the fun starts."
"There's no present like the time."
“The only real failure is the failure to try, and the measure of success is how we cope with disappointment.”
These kinds of words are a depression antidote for me, a depression getaway. If words can move me, then I am not dead. If words can make me feel then I have not lost all feeling.
And just how else does rewatching a movie I like this help a low mood?
1. It is relaxing.
2. It transports me to another place, giving me a distraction from depression and fatigue.
3. I am a success and not a failure. My goal was to watch the movie and I did it! Success!
Oh and by the way, there is a sequel too: "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel".
WHAT ABOUT YOU? How are you feeling today? Do you have any special thing to do that helps you relax on a down day? Do you have a favourite go-to movie?
Don't give up! There is hope for depression.
