Paris, Je T’aime: The Working Mom
Last week I watched Paris, Je T’aime for the first time. It is a collection of 18 “love stories” in the city of Paris, all with different directors and actors. Each story was about 5 minutes long. I liked sifting through them. Some I fast-forwarded, and some stuck with me for days.
Like this one, featuring actress Catalina Sandino Moreno:
It totally broke my heart.
What is your response to this short film?
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Gosh. I am so pregnant. I just teared up.
I knew the ending, so I feel like I have time to think about it. This may not be the most compassionate response… but I am huge fan of personal responsibility. I think it is great that she is able to have a job and provide for her baby, even if she only sees him or her at night. I don’t know where the rest of her family is, but if she was by herself – kudos for her for providing a safe home for her baby. She is not sitting around hoping that the government will help her. She is working and providing for her baby. Hopefully, she will be able to get a job later on that isn’t so demanding of her time.
Like I said, it isn’t the most compassionate response. The situations does stink, but I see hope for her character.
Just to play devil’s advocate….
What about the mothers who DO work so hard to provide for their children but still need help? Should they not take it and allow their children to not have food or live in shelters just to be proud? Does that make their character better?
I think poverty is much more complicated than we often make it out to be and that many times even those who practice wise use of $$ are facing so many other obstacles.
Unless we have lived it, I think that compassion comes hard to extend to others. Just providing another perspective……
The scene where she leaves her baby in the daycare totally reminds me of our daily experience with Addie in the NICU. It breaks my heart every time I have to walk away from my crying (or fussing) daughter because I have to go to work or go home to sleep.
I’m often amazed by the number of NICU nurses who have their own babies in daycare while they are at the hospital taking care of my daughter. The system seems flawed somehow…
As for the characters in the movie, at least both babies had someone loving to care for them at least part of the day!