Growing Older Film: The Trip to Bountiful

The Trip to Bountiful Review
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The Trip to Bountiful Review
           The film “The Trip to Bountiful” stars Geraldine Page as Carrie Watts, an elderly widow determined to revisit her childhood home in Bountiful, a small town in Texas where she was born, married and raised her children (Canby, 1985). In a small apartment in Houston, she lives with her only surviving son, John Heard, playing Ludie and Carlin Glynn as Jessie Mae, her avaricious, frivolous, and overbearing daughter-in-law. The trio living in the cramped apartment becomes unbearable as Carrie is always into Jessie Mae and Ludie’s business. The childless middle-aged couple is also struggling financially in the city. The old woman is fond of gazing at the moon and singing her hymns, which her daughter-in-law finds out of style and irritating. Carrie is also in conflict with Jessie Mae as she is fond of going through her daughter-in-law’s dresser drawers. Against the will of Ludie and Jessie Mae, the old woman makes a gateway and leaves Houston for Bountiful to reminisce her idealized memories of the small town. With the help of a few friendly strangers, Carrie finally makes to see the memorable place she once lived (MissDiane1962, 2016)). This review identifies elements of aging such as disengagement and loneliness, ageism and memory, and integrity versus despair and spirituality, drawing examples from the film and support from the text “Human Development” by The Human Development Teaching & Learning Group.  
           Carrie Watts, the elderly widow living with her son and daughter-in-law leads disengaged and lonely life worsened by the memories of her small town in Texas where she spends much of her time. Aging among women is more stressful and Watts often wants to prove that she is still a valuable member of the family by performing a few house chores. The Human Development Teaching & Learning Group (2021) defines loneliness as a discrepancy between the social contact an individual has and the kind of contact they need. In the case of Watts, who lives with a middle-aged couple, this discrepancy creates emotional and social isolation, driving her to sing hymns to relieve the situation. While solitude involves being alone to pursue self-interests, loneliness is the social isolation that befalls older adults such as Watts, which can be detrimental. Studies have found that social isolation and loneliness are often linked to a 30% increase in the risk of coronary heart disease (The Human Development Teaching & Learning Group, 2021). In the film, Watts is struggling with a heart condition and the unpleasant life in Houston makes her lonely life a challenge. 
           As Watts ages, so is her memory becoming a burden in her life. She manages to sneak from her son’s apartment but misplaces her pu...