Friday, August 8, 2008

Little Petals

I was just watching the first series of Skins for the umpteenth time, because it's like teenage angst on steroids and because I love Cassie (first season only, she's kind of a nightmare in the second season) and Effy (so dark, complex and brooding). Watching Skins makes me realise that I love those characters, the whimsical, mysterious, multi faceted dreamer. I think it's because we can all relate to the romantic, wide eyed, wild haired girl in the floaty dress in the movies.
I love a well written Romantic Girl (hmmm, is there a better name for them?) and how familiar her thoughts, actions and words are. They might be an overblown version of us, or a different version of us but we empathise because we know the feelings well.

Some obvious favourites;
The Lisbon girls in The Virgin Suicides→ "They had killed themselves over the dying forests; over the manatees maimed by propellers as they surfaced to drink from garden hoses; they killed themselves at the sight of used tires stacked higher than the pyramids; they had killed themselves over the failure to find a love none of us could ever be. In the end, the tortures tearing the Lisbon girls pointed to a simple reasoned refusal to accept the world as it was handed down to them, so full of flaws."


Lolita→ Honestly, I found the book disturbing. I refer only to the sweet, innocent style in the films which is perfect.


Astrid in White Oleander→ The book or the movie, but the book is just so beautifully written. "I'm enjoying my hatred so much more than I ever enjoyed love. Love is temperamental. Tiring. It makes demands. Love uses you. Changes its mind. But hatred, now. That's something you can use. Sculpt. Wield. It's hard or soft, however you need it. Love humiliates you, but hatred cradles you. It's so soothing. I feel infinitely better now."


Effy and Cassie in Skins→ Cassie because she's like every silly daydream and dreadful nightmare combined.
Tony: How's the treatment going, Cassie?
Cassie: Oh, it's cool. I wear a white dress and now I can eat yogurt, cup a soup and hazelnuts now. If I'm not sick, they let me play with the cats. Yeah, it's like... hazy days, you know?


Effy because she's a little dangerous, secretive, and hides her vulnerabilities.
Sometimes I think I was born backwards, you know came out my mum the wrong way. I hear words go past me backwards. The people I should love I hate, and the people I hate...


And general prettiness from White Oleander and some French movie (I've forgotten it's name, something to do with flowers?)


Some Livejournal communities to appeal to your romantic girl sensibilities:
Beds And Dreams
Pearls And Tea
Winters Gold
Little Honeybees
Tea Sparrows
Treasure And Gems

3 comments:

Annie Spandex said...

Virgin Suicides and White Oleander = major faves of mine. <3

Pop Culture said...

Great minds think alike :)

Anonymous said...

the last one´s name is Daisies and it is Czechoslovakian movie from 1966