scenes from a marriage

lately, my netflix account & i have become the best of chums… always in some constant back & forth dialogue over queue priority. the biggest problem herein lies the fact that my crystal ball is broken (in fact, i’m certain it never really worked) & netflix is unforgiving, & my mood for genre x today, may not match my mood for genre y two days later. there’s a certain element of having to forecast the future here, & take a risk, that’s hard. & i have to tell you, it really sucks when you get the right movie, but are in the wrong mood, because sometimes the mood doesn’t rear it’s head for another 3 months & i’m stuck with a movie that i refuse to return simply because i failed to know myself (two days ahead) better. i’m sure you’ll be happy to know that i’ve given up this act of self-punishment (as of right now), because i realize how super silly it sounds… & how netflix makes out like a bandit on people like me. in the future, i will instead return the movie & rent it again when the mood strikes.

so, i’m compelled, these autumn days, for dvds that linger, & these usually come in the form of a series.

after watching season 1 of grey’s anatomy, i decided that i needed to take a break from the hospital dramatics of seattle grace & watch something that might ground me a little more. scenes from a marriage kept popping up on my recommendations list & so i finally decided to see what the shooting star was all about… & well, after a nice after-work dinner date with my couch, the smokey peaty one, & my dvd player, i thought to myself, “if i wanted something to ground me, i think i may have gotten more than i had asked for…” which is great. it’s comforting to me that some force out there is going above & beyond the call of duty & giving me exactly what i ask for… but from now on, i think i’ll use a bit more trepidation when wishing things for myself. my ass still hurts…

ingmar bergman produced quite the tv series with scenes from a marriage, a very poignant discussion on the fragility of emotions, relationships, and the complexity of love. it is the suggestion that love is so deeply tied to feelings of resentment that, over time, hardens into hatred, that i find especially appealing. it’s interesting how you can despise the very person you seek forgiveness from (or acceptance, love, etc). love is not a kind or gentle emotion, it seems.

i’ve only watched the first dvd (scenes 1-3) and am bracing myself for the next couch date with liv ullman & crew. next time, i’ll forget to put the rocks into my scotch before i hit <play>.