There aren't exactly an excess of roles for women over 40 in Hollywood. There certainly aren't a lot of lead roles for an actress like Mary Kay Place who's made a career out of stealing the show in supporting roles over her enviable career, but with Diane, Place finally gets her chance to shine and, as expected, she's more than up for the challenge.
This is a different role for Place who tends to specialize in kooky or eccentric types and there's nothing terribly noteworthy about Diane. She's a widowed woman of a certain age who spends all her days and nights taking care of other people - her friends, her family, and the homeless. When she's given a moment of peace, all she can think about is how everyone she's loved has (or will soon be) died. What could have possibly led to her being so selfless?
Diane is a small film in scope and budget, but it's a small story about a small person - the kind of person we probably wouldn't give a passing glance to on the street. She looks just like any other woman in her area and age range. What could be so special about her? This film tells us - quite a lot.
Diane got me thinking about how little we really know about everyone we encounter on a day to day basis and how everyone is fighting their own battles that they don't always tell us about.
This is a different role for Place who tends to specialize in kooky or eccentric types and there's nothing terribly noteworthy about Diane. She's a widowed woman of a certain age who spends all her days and nights taking care of other people - her friends, her family, and the homeless. When she's given a moment of peace, all she can think about is how everyone she's loved has (or will soon be) died. What could have possibly led to her being so selfless?
Diane is a small film in scope and budget, but it's a small story about a small person - the kind of person we probably wouldn't give a passing glance to on the street. She looks just like any other woman in her area and age range. What could be so special about her? This film tells us - quite a lot.
Diane got me thinking about how little we really know about everyone we encounter on a day to day basis and how everyone is fighting their own battles that they don't always tell us about.