This film is the classic "wish fulfillment" film. I believe everyone goes through problems like Charlotte Vale does at some point in their lives. To me it is the most unusual romantic film Warner Brothers ever made. Though I am a man, this film spoke to me in ways few others have ever done. I believe Dr. Jacquith (Claude Rains) describes it best when he talks about how he views psychiatry. I am sorry, I am paraphrasing. "People walk along the road. They come to a fork, they become confused. I put up a sign, no, not that way, this way." While some people have said that Bette Davis' look is overdone in the beginning of the movie, I believe it was necessary to show the transformation, and also to show what harm mental abuse can cause. While Paul Henried is perhaps a little overdone as Jerry, he too is necessary to show that love can come in unexpected ways an not all stories end neatly. I think he is much better in this film than in Casablanca. All in all, A beautifully realized portrait of how love can make people believe in themselves.
Review of Now, Voyager
