Bittersweet Friends

I was at my folks house the other night, and I flipped through their million billion satellite TV stations and ended up on this HBO movie… not so much because I wanted to watch it, but mostly because my finger was arthritic and blistering from so much button pushing.

The movie I came upon was called “Grey Gardens” and it had Jessica Lang and Drew Barrymore in it. It was the strangest, most semi-annoying movie that I’ve seen in awhile, which means that similarly to a trainwreck, I couldn’t turn away. Why was Drew Barrymore using such a terrible accent? And why did she have that god-awful scarf on her head? But nonetheless, as most made-for-tv movies tend to do (really, who can resist a drug addicted teenage pregnancy, or a husband who’s a secret serial killer? Not I, my friend, not I) I was sucked in. And I unfortunately only caught it from the half way point. The movie told the true story of two East Hampton socialite relatives of Jackie Onassis who ended up becoming absolute recluses on their huge estate for over 30 years; And how eccentric and removed they became from social constraints (and sanitation, apparently). This movie was based on their lives of course, but also on the documentary film that was made of them in the 70′s, which became quite the cult classic. I got my hands on that film, as well as the HBO film in it’s entirety. Their story is moving, and really quite bittersweet. I don’t want to call it sad, because both women seemed to have quite a bond to each other, and had just gotten caught up in the rut of day to day life – but it was still a bit horrifying. Days blended into months, which eventually flew into years. And a lot of raccoons. And ingestion of cat food (which apparently when placed on crackers passes as a tasty and flavorful “pate”).

I was really moved by this story. In a haunted, can’t-stop-thinking-about-it-days-later sort of way. I think because I really felt an affinity with the daughter of the story, Little Edie. Who essentially put her chances of a career on hold in order to go to her mother’s house “temporarily”. But then just never left. You could tell in the documentary how regretful she was about that, and how much potential she had to do really great things – it was more of a commentary of opportunities we are given and choices we make, and how one decision can leave us regretting things forever. HEAVY STUFF.

I wholeheartedly admit that I pleaded with the universe that night “please, PLEASE do not let me end up living in an abandoned, empty house (except of course for 300 cats and squirrels) eating pet food and forgetting to take out the trash – for 8 years. Living on the ocean would be alright though, we’ll keep that one on the horizon”. If nothing else, it got me inspired to actually appreciate my young(ish) adulthood, talents and aspirations – which for a movie, is pretty incredible.

Check out the documentary: “Grey Gardens” by Albert and David Maysles. They are seriously 2 of the most interesting, unforgettable characters to ever be caught on film.