Author: Sydney Reade

Craving a little classic cinema, I returned to the AFI’s top 100 list this past week to watch Sophie’s Choice (#91). It is both a moving tale and perhaps an over-long one, but I’ll let you decide which sentiment dominates upon viewing.

Sophie (Meryl Streep) is a polish immigrant in 1940s Brooklyn. She lives with her emotionally unstable boyfriend, Nathan (Kevin Kline), in the apartment above her new neighbor, Stingo (Peter MacNicol). The three strike up an unusual friendship reminiscent of the Gatsby-Daisy-Nick love triangle in The Great Gatsby. Stingo, after all, is an aspiring writer like Nick Carroway (at least in the most recent film version); Nathan is an egomaniac with a mysterious and imprecise day job echoing the mystique that surrounded Gatsby; and Sophie is the innocent Daisy stuck between two men. The main difference here, however, is that Sophie is a Holocaust survivor with a complicated past she is trying to forget.

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This movie probably ranked among the top 100 films of all time because of Meryl Streep’s performance, for which she won an Oscar. Its cinematography is not particularly groundbreaking, unless you count the reenacted scenes in the concentration camps or the few astounding moments of Nathan’s maniacal state. However, Schindler’s List (#8) is also ranked and probably more so for its cinematography and accurate depiction of this important historical time. Besides, it is Meryl Streep who steals the film and makes for irresistible viewing. Fans of hers may blink twice before recognizing the impossibly young, svelte actress on screen. Once your eyes adjust, though, you’ll be doubly surprised by the ease with which she adopts a Polish accent, and then proceeds to speak multiple different languages affected by the accent, regardless of the fact that she is without a doubt an American English native speaker. The complexity of her character is incredibly rich, but Streep pulls back the layers with just the right amount of restraint and emotion for us to feel invested.

Kevin Kline also produces a masterful performance in his portrayal of Nathan as a genius thrill-seeker who has visible, and often incredulous, mood swings. It becomes difficult for the audience to watch Sophie, who in many ways owes everything to Nathan for saving her life right after the war, struggle under his instability. But she struggles because deep down she really does love him, even when she could choose to love the loyal and caring Stingo who is ready to take away all the pain Nathan causes. Which begs the question, “What is a Sophie’s choice?”

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You may have heard the phrase “Well that’s a real Sophie’s choice,” implying the state of having to make a decision that at best could only result in the lesser of two evils occurring. The great thing about Sophie’s Choice is that Sophie doesn’t just make one climactic choice, she makes many. This may account for the incredibly long runtime. You could spend the nearly two-and-a- half-hour film ticking off on your fingers all the choices she makes and wondering how different her life could have been had she just gone the other route. But what Streep manages to portray so exquisitely is that you only get one chance in life and you must therefore live with the decisions you make. The end is a bit of a tearjerker, but this movie is absolutely worth a watch for even just a glimpse of this magnificent story and characterization.

“The Cutting Room Floor” is a handy guide to all things film. Sydney Reade discusses the merits of a movie from the camera angles to that line of dialogue you just can’t get out of your head. Appearances by classic gems, modern favorites, and every movie in between to help you decide what to watch on Friday flick night.