Harold and Maude

I actually really like this movie. Although it was very odd, it was a funny movie to watch even though it possessed a serious tone in the back-drop. Under normal circumstances I would have found it very unlikely that a 17 year old could fall in love with an 80 year old, but the characters possessed a unique quality that made this movie believable. It was interesting, especially, to see how opposite they were, especially on their outlook of life. Maude, a holocaust survivor, was very full of life and very active every day. Harold, on the other hand, consistantly pretended to be dead by doing various "killing" acts. Although many of the parts were funny, if we step back for a moment it is actually rather sad. He had no ambition to do anything with his life where Maude almost had her life taken away from her. It's as if Harold never felt completely loved by someone, and craved attention. It makes me wonder if Harold's actions are a direct result of his upbringing in a wealthy family. Sometimes people associate wealthy families (especially the children of one) as people who generally don't appreciate all they have. Although I don't think Harold is materialistic whatsoever, he definitely doesn't seem to appreciate his life and all that he should be thankful for. It also shows, however, that money doesn't buy happiness.

It was pretty sad at the end when Maude still decided to follow through with her death for her 80th birthday. Although her love for Harold seemed very genuine, it is confusing why she still decided to die. But if I look further into this, it makes sense that she wanted to die while her life was still full of love and joy. She lived a complete life filled with ups and downs and she seemed content with her choices she had made along the way. She could have also had Harold in mind, in the sense that he has the rest of his life ahead of him. I think she taught him a valuable lesson of taking each moment as if its your last and he can hopefully carry that with him for the rest of his life.