Eat
Pray Love | 2010 | 2h 13m
Genre:
Biography/Drama/Romance | Country: Indonesia
Director:
Ryan Murphy | Writers: Ryan Murphy, Jennifer Salt, Elizabeth Gilbert
Cast:
Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, Richard Jenkins
IMDB:
5.8
My
Rate: 7/10
Liz, after ending her marriage because she feels she has lost her sense of self, tries to leave everything behind and find the meaning of life by taking a long journey to Italy, India, and Bali.
Warnings:
Contains
sensual scenes, nudity, strong language, and alcohol.
Synopsis:
Liz
(Julia Roberts) travels to Bali and meets Ketut (Hadi Subiyanto), who predicts
her life. Ketut says that Liz has two paths in love, one short and one long.
Ketut also says that Liz will lose her money and travel, eventually returning
to Bali.
Some
time later, Liz faces problems in her marriage to Stephen. Liz feels that her
life is not as she wants it to be, and she feels she has lost her sense of
self. Liz eventually decides to end her marriage.
During
the divorce process, Liz has a relationship with David, an actor she meets.
David introduces her to meditation, which Liz eventually tries to learn to calm
herself mentally. However, her relationship with David doesn't go smoothly
either. Liz ultimately decides to travel to several places to find balance
within herself.
Liz
travels to Italy, India, and Bali. Liz is drawn to Italy. She learns the
language, interacts with new people, and enjoys the Italian food and
atmosphere. During her travels in Italy, she observes the interactions between
her friends, showing affection and love for their partners.
Next,
Liz goes to India to meet the Guru. Liz tries to meditate and make peace with
her thoughts. Liz meets Richard, who is initially unkind but becomes a
significant friend to her. Liz realizes important things and regrets she has
kept hidden for so long.
The
journey continues to Bali, as promised to Ketut. They meet again, and Ketut
helps Liz maintain balance in her soul. Suddenly, Liz meets Felipe (Javier
Bardem), who offers her love.
Will
Liz open herself up and start a new life?
Review:
Eat
Pray Love is a film adapted from Gilbert's book, which contains her personal
memories and experiences about her life after divorce. The film was shot in
several locations, including New York City (United States), Rome and Naples
(Italy), Delhi and Pataudi (India), Ubud and Padang-Padang Beach in Bali
(Indonesia). Unfortunately, this film doesn't explore and show the beauty or
local culture of these places well. If it had done so, it might have made the
presentation more interesting.
Eat
Pray Love is a title that perfectly describes Liz's journey. Unfortunately,
once again, this film doesn't portray the meaning of the title well. There are
many things that could be optimized to give viewers a deeper impression. So
that viewers can feel what Liz feels during her journey.
Italy
should have been the place for Liz to show the meaning of "Eat" from
the title. There is even a dialogue where she says that most of what she does
in Italy is eat. However, there are only a few scenes showing Liz
"eating" or "enjoying her food." We are too busy watching
Liz learn Italian from her friends.
India
is the next place to find the meaning of "Pray." She travels far to
India to meet the Guru. Liz tries to find peace by meditating. Instead of
watching her try to learn or understand meditation and the meditation readings
she does, we are busy watching her argue with Richard. One of the "foregneir"
who also tries to meditate there. Richard's rude attitude and his interaction
with Liz here are a bit distracting.
Bali
is where Liz tries to feel the meaning of "Love." From her long
journey and the reason for her separation from her previous husband, she should
have learned meaningful lessons in her life. This is because she made a bold
decision to separate because of something she felt was important. However, it
seems like Liz doesn't really learn about that.
Liz,
who has just divorced, is already smitten with an actor and starts a
relationship. Then, when she's in Bali, she easily becomes attracted to Felipe.
It's not that she shouldn't feel love, but it's a bit inconsistent because Liz
seems to fall in love easily. They don't even have deep conversations about
life goals, which was the root of Liz's problems in her previous marriage.
The
story idea is actually quite interesting and simple. The issue is also
relatable to marital life in general. Where perhaps some couples feel they have
lost their sense of self while in a marriage. Some make bold decisions to leave
everything behind and start a new life, while others make decisions, perhaps
after careful consideration, to stay. This is the story idea that this film
tries to portray. Although I can't compare it to the book, as I haven't read it
personally.
The
acting of the cast is good. However, overall, the film doesn't leave a lasting
impression. It feels like during the 2 hours and 13 minutes the film runs, the
depth of the story isn't felt. However, we can still find messages about life
in this film.
Memorable Scene:
Liz
dances with imagination of her husband while on the rooftop. She tries to let
go of all the feelings that are still lingering from her previous marriage.
This eventually makes Liz more calm in her life.
In
this scene, we can learn that to live our lives, we must be able to let go of
wounds, pain, trauma, and other feelings that linger from the past. It's not
easy. But when we do, our journey becomes more comfortable.
Memorable Dialogue:
"To have a broken heart means you have tried for something."
Ending:
Happy
Ending
Recommendation:
Worth
to Watch
(Aluna)
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