February: Twisted Love (1 of 4)

February means Valentine's Day: the holiday designed to test and try our hearts. With that in mind, our movie theme for the month is TWISTED LOVE. Stories of love that just didn't pan out. To be fair, not all these stories are what I would call "twisted", but they're all unusual, heartrending, honest and strangely sweet.

First on the docket: Harold and Maude

I was first introduced to this movie by my college roommate who was (and still is) a woman of incredible taste with an eye for beauty. It's the story of Harold, a sad young loner obsessed with death. His world changes when he meets Maude, an optimistic 79 year-old equally obsessed with life.  Bud Cort is perfect as Harold and Ruth Gordon as Maude is also pretty great with Vivian Pickles (a riot!) as Harold's domineering mother. At least as important as the actors is the music accompanying them--all Cat Stevens classics. 

This film has become a cult-favorite. It is a beautiful story beautifully rendered and superbly executed. Enjoy!

note: no rating issues here, but there are several mildly-disturbing fake death scenes that young kids might get freaked out by.