they made the weather

I rented and watched “Cold Mountain” last night. It’s a very difficult movie to watch, I thought. It illustrates the evils of war with an honesty and “no apologies” approach that not many movies would dare to. In most movies, a tragic scene is followed by a lighter scene. In “Cold Mountain”, it seemed as though tragedy followed tragedy.

I feel as though this sort of gruesome portrayal of war is necessary, especially at a time such as the one in which we are living. War is horrible. War destroys families. In war, good people become monsters. Loving husbands become rapists. Young boys become killers. Women become prostitutes and bitter widows. In “Cold Mountain”, robbery follows intimidation, abuse follows robbery, rape follows abuse, and murder follows rape. This path of destruction is such in any war.

It’s a heartbreaking movie that features flawless acting from some of the best actors of today. I especially loved Renee Zellweger’s portrayal of Ruby, an outspoken, “no-nonsense” Southern tomboy hardened by abuse and neglect. After seeing this movie, I don’t believe that there are many actors who are even at the same level as she is in terms of raw skill.

One of my favorite lines in the movie is spoken by Ruby as her eyes well up with tears:

“They call this war a cloud over the land, but they made the weather and they stand in the rain and say, ‘Shit, it’s raining!’”

I don’t know if “Cold Mountain” is for everyone, but it tells the story of this small Southern town held in the grips of civil war with such realism that it brought me to my knees.