The Secret Life of Words

The Secret Life of Words ***

Of late I've been reading a lot of books by John Irving, and there is one thing that I've noticed stays in the same. They are always love stories of the strangest kind. In the last one I read the love story was between a man who lost his hand in an accident, and the widow of the man who donates his hand to him. They are always love stories about two people who come together in interesting ways. Now when I saw "The Secret Life of Words" I had not yet begun reading this book, but looking back, this film was very much like an Irving novel. A story about two people who are so blocked out from the rest of the world who are perfect for each other, but refuse to see what is quite clearly in front of their eyes. Looking back, the last fifteen minutes was something that I've noticed in multiple Irving novels, usually towards the end. And that technique is usually some kind of chase, or search, scene The search for a person, but also the search for a soul. That being said "The Secret Life of Words" is pretty much as remarkable in these books I've been reading. It's the kind of small gem that you see once in while-the kind which remind you why you see movies in the first place. It's a love story of the most improbable kind, but also sweeter than anything that could be produced by Hollywood.

Sarah Polley-a fine and beautiful actress-plays Hanna, a factory worker who requires a hearing aid to probably hear people talk. The beauty is that whenever she doesn't want to have to hear somebody talk to her, all she needs to do is shut them off. Called into the boss's office one afternoon, Hanna-thinking that she is about to be fired-is surprised to learn that she has never taken a day off in the years that she's worked there. Her boss makes her take a two week holiday, which she is forced to accept. Instead of taking a vacation and time for herself, Hanna ends up volunteering to travel to an oil rig where there has been a terrible fire. The fire has badly burned a man named Josef(surprisingly played by Tim Robbins). Josef is forced to lay in a bed throughout his days, and for a short time he won't be able to see. Hanna is hired as Josef's nurse, and as she prepares him for simple things like bed and dinner, Josef tries to get information from her. He asks simple questions:

"What is your name?"
"What is your favorite food?"
"What color is your hair?"

Hanna simply doesn't answer, and I don't know if she is ignoring him, or simply doesn't turn on her hearing device. When she does answer she doesn't even tell the full truth-she tells him that her name is Cora instead of Hanna, and that she has red hair when it is clearly blonde. In any case, she slowly adjusts to life on the rig-befriending the Simon, and even now and then telling Josef a little bit about herself.

What makes "The Secret Life of Words" work is that Hanna and Josef need each other. Her coming aboard the boat comes at a perfect time. Hanna simply wants to blend into the world-in fact, she doesn't want to have anything to do with it at all. The job with Josef, for whom it is impossible to see her, she thinks that she doesn't have to worry about her insecurities, or worry about being noticed. But she doesn't realize that words are more powerful than visuals, and that Josef can learn more about Hanna by speaking to her than by actually watching it. Sarah Polley is wonderful here, and deserves to be recognized by more than just the indie film crowd. Tim Robbins I was a little give or take. As much as I love Robbins, and he is very good here, there were a few names that were passing through my mind as I watched it. For some reason I had Bill Murray in my head, but that might be a bad idea. A charming older man in a hospital bed for two hours might officially make him typecast, and I can think of a few people that would not agree with that acting choice. I could have lived without the narration that bookends the film-not so much narration as a childish voice describing something about Polley's character. It was irritating, and difficult to understand the high pitched tone of whatever character was talking. Instead of being involved with who this mystery voice could be, I wanted the story to move forward.

You'll never see "The Secret Life of Words." I can tell. It'll be so under the radar, and you won't even care enough to look for it, even when it pops up on video at some point. It's an unlikely romance, but also one of the best I've seen in a while, and it really does hook you in. The script is nearly perfect, and the dialogues between Hanna and Josef are really perfect-or monologues, considering that Josef does most of the talking. "The Secret Life of Words" is a fantastic gem of a picture that will slide past you quicker than a quarter on a frozen lake.