What is Life like for the Whore of Babylon? She tends her garden, keeps up with the housework (by her standards), and goes to bed early. She ruminates on her decisions, tries to trust herself and slowly make what amends she can. It was good to see you again.

- W.B.

Climate Change and the Maldives

Water Lilies

Water Lilies (Naissance des pieuvres) is the very respectable first film (from 2007) of French director Celine Sciamma. It is a careful portrait of the private world of love and friendship created by three girls (in two pairs) as they manage expectations and violations visited upon them with increasing frequency from the larger world.

Low Expectations

"His cluelessness makes the atrociousness of his movie utterly supernatural."

- David Edelstein on Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lovely Bones

"A Streetcar Named Desire" starring Cate Blanchett and directed by Liv Ullmann, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music until 12/20...

"So you've seen Precious, eh? What did you think?"

"Precious" was definitely one of the most complicated depictions of abuse I've ever seen. The hype didn't detract from my experience because the story was well told. It wasn't naive and didn't claim that any problems were solved, which made the love, especially self love, even more powerful. Ian drew my attention to the controversy about skin color and casting. (Does Hollywood Still Have a Brown Paper Bag Test?) That criticism is totally founded, but its still a good film. I really agreed with what Theresa Wiltz wrote about the mother's character on theroot.com: "we recognize the humanity in the monster, without wanting to forgive her of her trespasses." I think that's really important and uncommon in a story about abuse and violence, because denying the humanity of abusers encourages observers to distance ourselves from the problems that really do lead people to hurt each other. This phenomenon came up in this week's This American Life rebroadcast in the section about Elizabeth Smart.

World AIDS Day