This is one of my favorite Helen Mirren movies. I've read that some people think it's about homosexuality. I don't believe that to be the case. I see it as a movie about understanding and love. You can have that with a member of either sex. Chase found it with a young woman, but I don't believe she was a lesbian. I'd like to know what others think about this.
shareI loved this movie, too. But I don't think it's about homosexuality. Chase absolutely fell in love with Elizabeth and her world opened up. Not recognizing her sexuality wasn't the source of her clinical depression, but discovering it sure helped her emotionally.
But, it goes further than that - to understanding and love - just like you said, which is much more important than sexuality.
It's hard for me to rank Dame Helen's performances because they're all wonderful.
...and that's all I have to say about that.
I totally agree. This was the first Helen Mirren movie I had ever seen. I think she's a wonderful actress. I have since seen most, if not all, of her films. I think that this movie is about much more than homosexuality. In fact, I think that's a minor part of the movie. I think it's about Chase rediscovering herself. She was lost with her husband. She lost who she was once she married him. It's clear that she married him b/c she thought that it was something she "had" to do like her college friends. Elizabeth brought renewed hope and the possibility of love. She and Elizabeth both gave each other something they needed. I think it's an unusual "love story". The acting is superb.
shareI don't think chase and Richard married b/c she felt it was what she was supposed to do. I think she and Richard were very happy together up until her breakdown when he broke down and failed to connect with her anymore. He and the boys (not so much Jason but definitely little Richard) walked on eggshells around her so much of the time for fear of another night of "screaming at the top of my lungs from Gay Head lighthouse" that she was shut out of their lives and she just gave up, sat on the porch swing, watched the sea and smoked. They gave her few other options and who can blame her. I'd do the same thing i'm sure.
Elizabeth was of course very much resented when she came along b/c Chase was more than capable of taking care of herself and her family, if only Richard gave her a chance but when Elizabeth became her friend, started treating her with respect, Chase was given her life back. I don't think she realized "oh my, i have feelings for a woman, i must be gay". I think it was love, pure and simple. Love is what Chase was lacking and it didn't matter who gave it to her. She just needed to be needed.
This is one of my favourite films of Helen's along with Cal, Some Mother's Son, Painted Lady, the Prime Suspects, the Cook..., and White Nights. She's the best!
I agree that this is one of Helen's best roles. I felt like this film was very delicately directed and gave me a whole new level of respect for Kevin Bacon after watching it. I truly believe that he is one of the most talented actors in Hollywood right now and is truly underappreciated there. I thought Kyra Sedgewick was fabulous as well. She is so very present when she acts and being cast opposite Helen Mirren - I would have loved to watch the two of them work together.
I do believe that this film was so much about Chase discovering who she really was as a person and coming to terms with what it meant to stop denying who she really was (not just as a gay woman - as I believe her character discovers- but about so much more). It takes Elizabeth, in some ways, being even more screwed up than her to jump start her out of her depression - and of course the heart-breaking thing is that she falls in love with Elizabeth and realizes that she can never fully explore what that means for her. But the love that exists between the two women is real. I believe that if Richard hadn't interefered then Chase and Elizabeth probably would have explored the sexual side of their relationship but in some ways that would have been very bad for Elizabeth. It is clear to me that her character is not a lesbian although she has a deep deep love for Chase. But with Chase she was working out the fundemental mother issues that she had and because she leaves when she does I think the film highlights that there was hope for her. In some ways she was able to be "re-mothered" by Chase and adding sex into that equation would probably in the end have been very damaging. Chase does realize this and even though she does not want to lose Elizabeth, like a good mother, she allows her to fly away without rancor- in fact she leaves her with a parting gift and wishes her well even though it probably broke her heart entirely to do so. In some ways isn't this what all mothers do for their children in letting them go? When I saw this the first time I just cried and cried at the end because you realize that as much as those two women loved eachother in a completely deep way they will never see eachother again. I think that touches a part of all of us.
IMO, this is not really one of Dame Helen's better films. However, I will always have a soft spot for this movie because it is the first film that I ever truly noticed HM in (I had seen her previously in "White Nights" and "Excalibur" but, apparently, had not paid much attention).
I first saw "Losing Chase" about 11 years ago when it originally aired on Showtime and, was so enthralled by Dame Helen's riveting and charismatic performance that I have been a passionately devout fan of hers ever since (I even sat through the unbelievably awful "Teaching Mrs. Tingle" over half a dozen times just to re-experience that Mirren magic).
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Well, it's a woman who falls in love with another woman, wants to kiss her, etc. You wouldn't call that lesbian? If that's heterosexuality, then I've been hetero all this time and didn't know!!
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Kevin Bacon did an excellent job in directing this film, especially if it was his debut. I love him as an actor, however, his artistic ability may have not been mined yet, given the results of this movie. It was simply beautiful.
I read somewhere that Helen said she would never kiss a woman unless she "had" to in a movie. Well, as much as I admire her as an actor, she always portrayed an open mind in her interviews, especially towards nudity and sex. Therefore, I don't understand her attitude towards the sapphic, unless it is due to religious beliefs or personal ones. She has many straight women who have their girl crushes with her, so I really don't get where she is coming from. If there would ever be a sequel to "Losing Chase", I have no doubt it would be a huge success. Anyway, I loved Helen and Kyra in this film, and thought Kevin very courageous to make it. Kudos to him.
As Helen herself said in a 60 Minutes interview regarding nudity in film, Well, I just don't see why it's a big deal. IMO, violence should be a big deal, but why should sexually explicit scenes offend if they aren't physically hurting anyone? I don't understand why violence is tolerated and accepted and sex is not. Violence is unacceptable behavior in our daily lives, yet most on this planet experience a sexual experience from time to time, however, most of us do not experience mayhem and murder. Go figure. Exactly, Ms. Mirren, what is the big deal? (BTW, Helen is my favorite actress of all time, and with all due repect I pose this question.) Peace to all!
If she said that (you don't supply a source) it would be because she is against same sex kisses just for the sake of jollies.
sharePlease, don't any of you have this movie want to share with me? Of course, we'd deal together?? Please, I'!d love to see another Helen's performance, she's really great! I've recognize it in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone....
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"One of her best roles" probably shouldn't be the topic of this thread because the OP's post doesn't really address it. I think the main point nancinger wants to make is that the movie was about what it means to be in love with someone regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in. One of the difficulties of focusing on homosexuality is that it has become a label that is pinned on someone, just as it was pinned on her in this movie. Indeed, the stigma of this label in this movie proves to be so powerful that it reduces a few of the roles to stereotypical acolytes. In any case, while it may reduce some, it does the opposite to the main characters -- where their characters emerge as a complex web of feelings that defy characterization. As such, they require acting skills greater than the usual faire and we see in this movie an exhibition of this talent in both women. I was impressed by their performances. My standard for this kind of movie is Love Field in which Michelle Pfeiffer demonstrates just how complicated love can be.
James