The Glass Menagerie

I watched this a few weeks ago, so it is not fresh in my mind, but I really liked it.
The opening scene is compelling,  with Malkovich going into an abandoned apartment building.  It becomes very apparent that this was once his home.  His character makes some very sad, but beautiful observations as he begins the narrative which he calls a memory play.

When the story really starts, he is still in the apartment, but it is earlier times.  He lives with his mom, who is completely crazy,  and his sister, Laura, who needs some Xanax.

The movie centers mostly around Laura and mother's strained relationship.  Their mother is extremely overbearing, yet appears to mean well.  She is just...too much.  She becomes obsessed with finding her daughter a "gentleman caller" ...I laughed because I use this term ironically if I'm seeing a guy...The mother's reasoning is that...she is getting older, and she fears for her child after she is gone.  She thinks a husband will ensure her daughter's future.

She is also hyper critical of her son, Tom (Malkovich) which he resents.  She appears to want to micro-manage her adult children.  One might ask why they are still living with her,  but the answer is really clear.  Laura cannot function as a normal adult human being,  and Tom feels obligated.  And resentful.

There are a couple spectacular shows of anger and frustration,  and I feel like nobody does anger on-screen like John Malkovich.  Nobody.  He is so talented,  it's hard to fake anger and have it seem believable. 

Every time his character has an angry outburst, he ends it by "going to the movies" - I got the feeling that it's implied he is really going out to drink, but it is never stated outright, so maybe I'm just thinking what I want to think. I would suppose Tom wouldn't disclose where he's really going if he went to a bar because his mother was nuts.  He has dreams of escaping his life, leaving his family, joining the army and he later discloses a plan to leave the family to pursue adventures of his own.

Eventually his mother convinces him to set his sister up on a "date" with a guy from work.

The mom makes a HUGE deal over the "gentleman caller" coming to dinner.   She is dressed to the nines like he is coming to see her instead of Laura,  has the house all straightened up,  dinner cooked, and so on.  Laura flips out and is all nervous and won't answer the door.  She proceeds to act like she has something wrong with her during the visit.   After a while, the power goes out,  because Tom didn't pay the bill.

The "gentleman caller" and Laura go into the living room together and they have candlelight since her jerk brother didn't pay the light bill.   They talk a long time and it seems like maybe something is starting between them.  It turns out they knew each other vaguely in high school and she had a crush on him.  I think they kiss (?)  I honestly can't remember.   Then he drops the bomb that he is engaged to be married.  NICE.   She gives him a glass unicorn from her glass animal collection - her glass menagerie ohhh-  as a parting gift.   Funny,  I would have given him slap as a parting gift,  but everyone is different.  Besides, how is he going to explain a random glass unicorn to his fiance? 

The mom is all pissed off because she feels like Tom brought an engaged guy to the house on purpose.  Tom leaves, and does not return home until the moment where he is touring the now-empty apartment and remembering.

Something that seemed implied to me,  but is also not stated outright (in the film, anyway...I've never read or seen the play and am wholly unfamiliar with it beyond this movie) - does the apartment burn on the night that Tom storms out?   The way he says "Blow out your candles"  and seems so sad about having left his family.   Is that why?   In my mind that is what I imagine happening.  The night he leaves,  maybe the mother or sister falls asleep with the candles burning,  and the apartment caught fire?   It may be something that is SO obvious, but since it isn't plainly said,  I don't know.

This film has such sad, lonely, and unfulfilled undertones.  I think most people can relate to feeling that way at some point in life.  I enjoyed the film for the fact that it was interesting, this glimpse into a family that is dysfunctional like all the rest of our families.  It is a bit over-acted,  by all involved,  but not terribly so.  I really liked watching it.