little miss sunshine

last night leah and i saw little miss sunshine. i read several positive reviews before i settled on seeing it, and i agree with them all. it was funny, original and touching.

what struck me the most was olive, the title character. in a family of people broken and scarred by life and circumstances, she remains largely untainted. she is innocent and hopeful and undoubtedly the heart of the family. ‘little miss sunshine’, besides being the paegent of their destination, is a perfect description of olive.

i was particularly struck by one exchange between olive and her uncle frank (the #1 proust scholar, who recently attempted to commit suicide after his grad-student boyfriend ran off with the #2 proust scholar.)

Olive: Do you think there’s a Heaven?
Frank: Well, it’s hard to say, Olive. I don’t think anyone knows for sure.
Olive: I know, but do you think there’s a Heaven?
Frank: Well… um… uh…
Olive: I think there’s a Heaven.
Frank: Think I’ll get in?
Olive: Yeah.
Frank: Promise?
Olive: Yeah.

the contrast between their two approaches to the idea of heaven struck me hard. frank’s first response is totally impersonal. he states what he knows, and no more. when olive pins him down to what he believes, he either doesn’t know, or doesn’t want to answer.

but she doesn’t even give us a chance to find out. without a blink she says she believes. she hopes. she chooses faith.

i was also struck with her confidence that the people she love would share in heaven with her. she knows nothing about homosexuality (earlier in the movie she says to frank “you fell in love with a boy? how silly.”) or the church’s position on it. she doesnt know about universalism or orthodox doctrines of salvation.

she just chooses hope at every opportunity.