Diane stars Mary Kay Place in a drama about facing mortality. Mary Kay Place turns in a brilliant performance. The film is currently streaming on Hulu.
The Diane we get to know as the film opens spends her days tending to other people, volunteering at a food kitchen, visiting her cousin in the hospital, and worrying about her son Brian (Jake Lacy). Brian is an addict. Diane bursts into his house unannounced and finds him in various stages of being out of his head on drugs.
Watching this film is like an #EldersRock convention. So many older women that I’ve loved for years. Younger viewers may not even recognize them, but they definitely rock. In addition to Mary Kay Place, the cast includes Estelle Parsons, Andrea Martin, Deirdre O’Connell, Glynnis O’Connor, Joyce Van Patten, and Phyllis Somerville.
There’s an excessive amount of time devoted to driving down the road. When it happened again and again, I concluded it symbolized being on the road to death. The sky and bare trees were also used to symbolize death, or perhaps freedom and release.
The storyline leapt and bounced with gaps, flashbacks, and dreams. I was never sure who was left standing, what kind of shape Brian was in, and what Diane’s health was like.
For a film about growing old and facing the end, there’s nothing morbid about Diane. She evaluates herself, her mistakes. her regrets, her relationships – especially with her son – as the people around her who love her slowly leave. It’s not a bad thing. It’s life. Diane can handle it.
Are you interested in this film? If you watch it, please share your reactions.