Rachel Getting Married

Rachel Getting Married ***

Like most films about weddings, this focuses on family, rite-of-passage and togetherness. What sets this apart, though, are the over-riding theme of addiction, and less prevalent motifs of loss and blame. Another big focus here is music. Throughout, the soundtrack punctuates the mood and creates atmosphere and feeling. Unusually, every piece of music used occurs live, as part of the action, and most are performed by the characters themselves. This makes for an interesting viewing experience, and the choice of songs and style seem to entice us into deeper contemplations of what this film as a whole is actually about. Despite this, the constant violining and soundtrack-to-the-lives of the characters proves to be really annoying; similarly to the relentless guitarring and serenading that we endured in Once.

As a still-protective big sister, I found the relationship between the two sisters incredibly moving, particularly the scene where Rachel bathes Kim, which to me was the defining moment of this film. There are other very tender moments, too, both for sad (images of a deceased child's colourful toys) and sentimental (the wedding vows) reasons. Overall, I would say that the scenario of a wedding, and the recovering addict as protagonist, make for an interesting juxtaposition, and a film that delves far deeper than many others would dare. It was definitely not as annoying or cliche as it had the potential to be; and it was extremely satisfying to watch Anne Hathaway shine in a less-than-conventional role.