Trigger warning: mentions of suicide

Before you start reading this, know that there will be spoilers.

I truly hope you have Kleenex on hand. This movie had many amazing themes, like repairing long-lasting friendships as well as forgiveness and redemption but, there are definitely sad scenes where I got teary-eyed. Overall, this movie was excellent, and I highly recommend it.

Otto is initially portrayed as a cantankerous and bitter man. Early on we see his short temper for people who don’t follow the rules of the neighborhood and the evidence of alienated relationships. He has been living in the same townhouse for many years. Otto keeps the blinds closed and lives a rigid life of predictability and isolation. There are flashbacks of Otto’s memories when he was younger meeting the woman he would soon marry. She seemed to be the only thing in his life that he lived for. She is gone when we meet Otto and in an early scene, we see Otto attempting to commit suicide so he could join his beloved wife. Through flashbacks we learn that his wife had been pregnant, and they were in a terrible accident which explains a deep darkness and profound grief that he is experiencing.

He attempts suicide several more times – each attempt is interrupted by someone in the neighborhood that is in need of his help. Otto’s sense of duty causes him to reluctantly pause and assist them. A certain family in particular, who is moving into their neighborhood, stops Otto on multiple occasions. They have two children, and the woman is expecting her third. The parking of their moving truck is one of the first events that interrupts Otto’s attempts to join his wife. He ends up helping them and in return, the woman brings him over some food to thank him for his help. This is the first time we see Otto’s shield begin to weaken.

The arrival of the new neighbors shakes loose the perpetual funk that has taken over his life, and he slowly starts to realize again why life is worth living. He encounters a young man who knew his wife and makes an unlikely friendship with him along the way. We see Otto finally embracing his newly created community, with new and old friends alike, and they become a large part of his life. At the end of the movie, we see Otto forgive his old friend, save a family, become a babysitter and handyman.

For me, this movie is a great example of courage and hope. Over time, Otto demonstrates vulnerability and courage by letting people back into the life he tried so hard to leave behind. Grief and sadness are part of our life experience, but so are hope and joy.

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is available. Call, chat or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 Lifeline.

If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the 988 Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States.

A Man Called Otto is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

The minute school let out and finals were over, I was immediately ready to start break. The first thing to finally start the break was watching a movie with my friends. One of my friends was the one who actually suggested seeing the movie. My memory of the Johnny Depp Willy Wonka movie was blurry at best so I hoped that I wouldn’t need too much of it other than bits and pieces like the chocolate and Oompa Loompas. Despite not remembering too much of the Willy Wonka movie, I still enjoyed Timothee Chalamet’s Wonka.  

The movie is a prequel to the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, featuring a young Willy Wonka who has a dream to share his chocolate with the world. However, due to his naivety, he gets himself into a lot of trouble; the world not being as nice as he hoped it would be. Throughout the movie, he gains friends and helps them get out of their own predicaments, while also helping him achieve his dreams. 

One thing I didn’t expect from the movie was for it to be a musical. I was pretty shocked when Timothee Chalamet started to sing and dance but I was pleasantly surprised. The music stuck with me even outside of the theater and into my home. Many of the songs had me tapping my foot and swaying in my seat. Some of the songs were pretty heartwarming and most of them are pretty catchy. The songs are easy to listen to and easy to follow; easy enough to follow that when I heard the ending credits, I was able to sing along despite only hearing it once previously throughout the movie. 

Another thing I really enjoyed was the found family dynamics that were introduced. I’m a huge fan of found family tropes and just good platonic relationships in general (which was a big reason why I enjoyed The Outsiders by S.E Hinton haha). In the movie, Willy Wonka gets into a bit of trouble and finds others who have the same problem as him. They all join together to help Willy and his dream of sharing his chocolate with the world, becoming a close group as they do. While the movie is mainly focused on two characters (Willy and one other character called Noodle), it’s nice to see the relationships between all the protagonist characters grow close and even cool to see the relationships they all have with the antagonists. Willy and the new character, Noodle, have the closest dynamic that really reminded me of siblings. While the typical siblings that you hear of are usually annoying each other and fighting while still being close, these two don’t fight nor annoy each other. But, they do support and help each other, and are always there for each other, only wanting the best for one another.  They had a really cute dynamic that really helped me enjoy the movie more.

Overall, the Wonka movie was really nice and I enjoyed it a lot. The music was so good that even as I write this, I can’t help but hear some of the songs in my head still. I would definitely recommend this to others to see. The plot of the movie is actually really fun and interesting and the characters are well crafted too. Wonka was a very good movie and is one to take a look at!

-Nicole R.

On Wednesday, I watched the movie Interstellar, directed by Christian Nolan. This movie is in the genre of science fiction + dystopian and is set in future America. In this film, America is suffering from dust storms, famine, and blight. A mission to find a new planet for humankind is desperately needed. 

After a series of mysterious events, Cooper, a retired astronaut is guided to NASA, where he is recruited by Professor Brand for a mission to explore potential planets. Cooper goes on the mission with other astronauts. They explore a wormhole that brings them to other planets, in the hopes that they won’t run out of time. 

The movie goes on to show the daunting mission that Cooper and his team embark on. They explore 2 planets, both of which are not inhabitable. On the second planet that Cooper investigates, he finds an older astronaut (who went on a similar mission) who tricks and sabotages him in order to leave the planet. Copper miraculously leaves the planet with his team which dwindles to one astronaut. After all the crazy events that Copper goes through, there is a limited amount of fuel left in the spaceship. So, Copper sacrifices his life by being sent into a black hole so that the astronaut can explore the last planet. In the black hole, Copper is redirected to a 5-dimensional space where he can see every memory from his daughter’s bedroom. He uses clues to give his ingenious daughter information that will save Earth. Interstellar ends with Cooper being rescued by people from the future, who were saved from Earth’s blight. 

In my opinion, Interstellar was an excellent movie. Though it was boring for the first hour, and confusing at times, this movie had a great message of self-sacrifice, the bonds of family, and time + space. My summary of the movie is probably confusing and does not embody the entire story of Interstellar. But, I hope that you take the time to watch this movie, as it is superb.

Interstellar is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.