Another weekend alone. Another random movie on Netflix. I figured I would keep with the tradition of picking at random so I selected the first movie that look visually appealing. I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover but is it ok for movies? By the way, this review will have some spoilers. You have been warned.
With that being said, I give you “The Young Kieslowski”
For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. That is the theme of this wonderful film. We open the movie on Brian Kieslowski, (Ryan Malgarini), who is having an American Pie style awkward conversation with his mother about sex. That is until she throws out the fact that she has cancer and that she only wants him to know what he is doing. How she feels she should be able to say anything she needs to say on the subject because she might not be around much longer. This is when I stopped laughing.
Brian is a virgin, but he isn’t actively trying to get laid. It isn’t a game to him. He seems to know that sex is a serious responsibility. So when he meets Leslie Mallard (Haley Lu Richardson) I didn’t quite know where it was going to go. Leslie seemed sure of herself, for a drunk person, and proudly declares herself to be a virgin waiting for marriage. That was the moment I knew this was going to go downhill fast.
Growing up in a church I knew girls like Leslie. I knew the type. I also knew what would eventually happen to them. Most of them had kids, at around the age of 17-20. One is a lesbian. Turns out she didn’t want to have sex with guys anyway. Beside the point. I said all that to say, I know where this is going.
When I was younger the thought of having children stopped me from having sex. The thought of having a smaller version of me running around halted me in my tracks. That amount of stress isn’t good on someone growing up. Brian doesn’t want to be a father in college, but he doesn’t know how to tell Leslie that he wants her to get an abortion.
This sort of divide will destroy a couple before they even get started. If you don’t have a level of friendship that starts your relationship at least have a level of honesty.
Brian is the young Kieslowski, but he isn’t a child anymore. He threw that life away when he got Leslie pregnant. Now, he doesn’t have time to be a child. He doesn’t have time to watch his life unfold in front of him because he has to take care of someone else. The crushing wave of reality is drowning him. He has to deal with what Leslie wants. What his parents want for him. What Leslie’s father wants for them. But, no matter how nosey or opinionated everyone seems to be, they all have a point. Kids become your life. Think about this choice before you act because you have to live with the consequences for the rest of your life.
What gets me about this movie is that no one is acting weirdly, or out of character. Sadly, that is how life works. Everyone has an opinion about how life should work out and sometimes everyone has a point. Sometimes, even if the action seem ridiculous, if you put yourself in another person’s shoes they are easier to understand.
The ending was one I saw coming, but the journey was well worth it. Life becomes easier when we stand together then when we are divided. However, what will stick with me is a line Brian’s mother said. “I think, whats really bothering you is if your with her it feels like you never had a choice. But you do have a choice.” And thats just it. I have sabotaged multiple of my relationships because of that feeling. The feeling of being trapped. It also applies to life. No matter what the situation is, you always have a choice.
Pause For Snacks 