Reaction to "His and Hers"

This past Wednesday night I attended a screening of the Irish documentary “His and Hers.” The movie surprised me and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I really liked the honest portrayal of the women chosen for the documentary. These women were not models or anyone incredibly special, but they were normal, everyday women dealing with life and the men in it. These women had experiences that everyone could relate. While these women may have been Irish, nothing about their experiences resonated with me as distinctly Irish; I think women in America, Canada, Germany, and another other Western culture have many of the same encounters with the men in their lives.

The one middle-aged woman reminded me especially of my mother. She mentioned how she was coming to terms with the fact she has less and less control in her son’s life. I know my mother does not often like that I can make important decisions on my own, but that’s part of being an adult. I could see my mother in this women, slowly accepting the inevitable and coming to peace with it.

There were a few elderly women in the movie that reminded of my grandmother. One of the women was talking about how she would move a chair towards the fireplace like when she and her husband would sit around the fire and drink wine. I’ve known my grandmother to set an extra place for my grandfather, even though he died ten years ago. She has also saved the answering machine that has his voice recorded on it and every once in a while she will listen to it. Another of the elderly women was adamant about walking by herself and not wanting to have to inconvenience her son or her other family because she was old. This woman reminded me of my same grandmother. Because she lives by herself, she goes places alone and likes to remain independent. I know that this worries my dad and aunt, but she this is of no concern to her. Just like the woman in “His and Hers,” her independence is very important to her.

There was also a girl in the film that reminded me of friends that I have had in the past. The girl was texting back and forth with some guy on her cell phone. It seemed like they were planning a date or something, and the girl seemed very unwilling to actually tell the guy that she was actually interested in him. Watching that scene gave me a brief flashback to middle school. I remember one girl friend in particular who would always debate with anyone who would listen whether or not some guy liked her and whether or not she liked him. I remember how back then it always seemed like such a big deal to her, but now it seems laughable.

I am glad I got the chance to see “His and Hers.” It was not the typical movie that I would have chosen to watch, but I ended up enjoying it. I think the heartfelt realism of the women was what really made me enjoy it. I was reminded of some happy memories in my life of women that have been important to me.