Ordinary people

We just watched the film Ordinary People directed by Robert Redford in our class. There were many different characters that had changed a lot by the end of this movie. I really thought that the ending was fitting and I thought it contrasted the beginning of the movie very well.

The main character that we follow in this movie is Conrad Jarret. From the opening he seems like a normal 15 year old boy. We then see him wake up from a troubled sleep and his character evolves from that. His personality changed a lot by the end of this movie. At the beginning he seemed like he was so tormented by events of his past that he could not be helped. Throughout the course of the movie he sees a psychiatrist by the name of Dr. Berger. Through his sessions with this very liberal psychiatrist he slowly changes his way of thinking. In one of the most important scenes in the movie Conrad finally finds that he needs to stop punishing himself for events that he couldn’t have helped. This was a very intense and memorable scene which was made even more real by the phenomenal acting. By the end of the movie Conrad was nearly the opposite of his former self. It is like he transcended from his former self into a new state of being that was free from the torments of his earlier character.

Conrad’s feelings towards his friends and peers slowly changes throughout this movie. At the beginning he seems to be indifferent but when he goes on a date with a girl he likes from his choir class his feelings toward them seem almost intolerable. A couple of his friends interrupt them and the girl, Jeannine, finds them funny. Conrad doesn’t find them that funny and the awkwardness between the two grows until the end of the date when Conrad drops her off. This was he most awkward part of the movie to watch and Conrad still being tormented inside makes it clear. Another example is when he beats up one of his former friends for saying bad things about Jeannine. His reaction was very human which made him seem like a very real person to me.

Conrad’s Father Calvin was another very important character in this movie. Ever since the boating accident with Conrad and his older brother Buck in whom the latter died, Calvin was very cautious with what he said around Conrad. Calvin never yelled at Conrad and only supported his actions of seeing Dr. Berger. Calvin changed a lot by the end of the movie as well. At one point in the movie Calvin saw the same Doctor that Conrad was seeing and they had a very in depth conversation. Calvin talked about how much Compassion Conrad’s mother, Beth Jarret, showed Buck but no one else. He also stated that at the funeral the only two people that didn’t cry were Beth and Conrad. He also said that the reason Conrad and Beth didn’t get along was because the two of them were so much alike. In the end of the movie Calvin finally stated that everyone’s thinking that Beth was strong for never crying or showing emotion was just the opposite. He called her weak for not being able to cry or show emotion. This was a very true statement because only a strong person could come to grips with their emotions and not care if they were accepted or not. He then said that the woman he loved had more or less been buried with all of her love when Buck died. This was a very memorable quote for me because none throughout the entire movie had spoken their mind about her until that point and I was very relieved that her husband was the one to do it.

The final major character in this movie was Conrad’s mother Beth. This woman had an awful character throughout this film. She was more concerned with the family’s appearance to others than the emotional stability of her husband and son. She also changed but not really for the better. Throughout this entire film she never once showed emotion. She also frowned upon Conrad seeing a psychiatrist stating that smart people can deal with their own problems. She also is upset with Calvin for talking about their son with other people because she doesn’t think that what goes on in their family doesn’t concern any outside people’s thoughts. Throughout the film she also shows how much she doesn’t care for Conrad. In one scene where they are at her parent’s house she refuses to take a picture with just the two of them in it. She also throws away a perfectly good breakfast the second Conrad says he isn’t hungry. In the end of the movie when Calvin accuses her of being weak she finally shows emotion. She begins to cry and then reinforces his opinion of her by leaving for a while. She was a very unlikable character but she was played outstandingly.

This was a very interesting movie to me. It really showed how strangled and struggling a family relationship can get when a member dies. Some can pull through and become closer than ever, but some, like this movie, can almost completely fall apart. It was a very interesting look into appearances as well. From an outside perspective this family could seem very normal and not have a problem but appearances only run so deep and it was obvious with this movie.