Dear Frankie

A tumble from a horse I'm starting left me sore and just a little cranky. The biggest problem is that I somehow managed to jam my right shoulder and my left pinkie. (I also bruised both knees which is the real mystery). If the injuries weren't on both sides, they wouldn't be a big deal, but they since they are I'm finding that writing is challenging. I'm typing sans left pinkie (which is only marginally challenging). The bigger problem is that I can't seem to find any position that doesn't put strain on my poor shoulder.

Since the last thing I want to do is create more problems, I've resigned myself to watching movies, a lot of movies.

Something, a sense of foreshadowing, must have been lurking, because not only did my instructor have a bag of movies ready to go, but I'd also rearranged my Netflix queue so that I actually got a couple of movies I've been wanting to see but putting off.

Now I wish I hadn't delayed. One of the movies I just watched is a cute little movie called Dear Frankie. I think it has just become my new motivational movie. I'm the first to admit that the movie isn't the greatest I've ever seen. It certainly isn't my new favorite movie, but there is something about it that whispered to the writer in me. Not only is it a lovely story about the love between a parent and a child, but for the romantics out there, there is a small hint of romance. Most people would probably complain about the ending, which simply stops, but for me it worked. It isn't the type of ending that leaves you with the sense that the world is at peace, but rather the type of ending that lets the viewer know that the story is far from over. The next time I find myself in the position of starting a new project and not having a single idea of where to begin, I think I might use the ending of Dear Frankie to springboard a free writing session and see where the words take me.

To me, the most intriguing part of the movie was the character who was simply called the stranger. Gerard Butler played this character and if I didn't already admire Mr. Butler, this movie would have made it happen. He did an amazing job. Best of all his character was a writers dream. Throughout the movie you have no idea what his motivation is, what he would be doing if he weren't hanging out with a little boy, or even what his future holds. It is the type of character that allows the viewer to dream.

If you haven't watched this movie yet, you should. It really is a sweet little movie that is full of hope and love.