As a die-hard Carpenters fan, people find it hard to believe that I like this film. At first, the "campy-ness" seems an insult to Karen's memory. But the more I watched it, the more I came to realize that this film was, and is, very sympathetic to Karen and her struggles. Not only did the poor soul fight for recognition in her family, but she had to fight for her own life. Unfortunately, the latter battle was lost.
But Karen's legacy is bigger than anything her family could have imagined. On February 4, 2008, we will commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of her death. Since then, many young girls have been save from self-starvation. How many? Hundreds, perhaps thousands.
We'll never know. But somewhere, when a parent hears Karen's voice, they say a prayer of thanks to the woman whose death may have saved their own daughter's life.
I think Todd Haynes created a chilling and all-too-accurate portrait of a young woman at odds with her family and herself. He "directed" the dolls very realistically, and the dream-like quality of the film evokes the confusion of the beautiful, tortured soul that was Karen Carpenter.
But Karen's legacy is bigger than anything her family could have imagined. On February 4, 2008, we will commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of her death. Since then, many young girls have been save from self-starvation. How many? Hundreds, perhaps thousands.
We'll never know. But somewhere, when a parent hears Karen's voice, they say a prayer of thanks to the woman whose death may have saved their own daughter's life.
I think Todd Haynes created a chilling and all-too-accurate portrait of a young woman at odds with her family and herself. He "directed" the dolls very realistically, and the dream-like quality of the film evokes the confusion of the beautiful, tortured soul that was Karen Carpenter.