THE CALENDAR GIRL: A portrait of friendship and male identity

By: Fernando Ramírez V.

There are stories that mark us for their subtlety, others for their emotional content. The calendar girl, directed by John Whitsell, is a film that talks about that stage in youth when you are one step away from adulthood. It is a mixture of nostalgia, He reminds us of those adolescent days when we thought everything was easy, that there was nothing we could not do. This story is set in the 60s, and its narrative revolves around three young people who begin to understand the reality of life and who they really are. The plot is simple: three friends, Roy Darpinian (Jason Priestley), Scott Foreman (Jerry O'Connell) and Ned Bleuer (Gabriel Olds), travel to Hollywood in the summer of 1962 with the romantic objective and absurd to meet Marilyn Monroe, the perfect woman. For them, Marilyn is the ideal prospect of beauty, desire and cinematographic glory. But what begins as a youth adventure, Fed by adolescent fantasies and the illusion of cinema, quickly becomes a self -discovery trip. The protagonists, these three friends, seek more than knowing their platonic love. They look for the meaning of what it is to be a man, be a friend and what it is to grow. Roy is about to join the army and Scott is going to marry at the end of summer.

Although Marilyn Monroe never appears physically in the film, her figure is shown as a symbol that represents not only an object of desire, but also the promise of a larger and more free life. The desire of these guys to meet this actress is to confront themselves to overcome their own fears. Scott, It has a prosthetic leg, it has insecurities at the physical and emotional level. Fear not to be sufficient utility, especially before his imminent marriage. The trip to Los Angeles forces him to break that barrier of insecurity, leaving the shadows of self -pity while looking for answers beyond his disability. Roy, The most intrepid and determined of the group, is about to mourn the army. Ned, on the other hand, seeks to break with the provisions and the routine that imprisoned it. Each of these friends has a unique and different perspective of Marilyn. Everyone rebel what they really need. Own identity.

The atmosphere in the 60s, music, cars, costumes, emotion for film stars, everything contributes to the construction of a universe where naivety is very frequent. In a pre-vietnam context. Dreams were still possible, and failure was not synonymous with fall, but of learning. One of the strongest elements of the film is the relationship between the three protagonists. Their friendship was not completely idealized. There are moments of discussions, envy, ego shocks. But also genuine friendship, complicity and loyalty. On this trip, the three face the question that all true friendship must answer once. How much are we willing to change for the other? What happens when our personal wounds threaten to separate what seemed unwavering?

The trip of these friends tests not only their link, but their ability to accept differences. Friendship often becomes the first honest mirror, and this is what happens here. The characters grow because they look, disappoint and support. What seemed to be a story about an unattainable woman is revealed as a story about themselves. The desire towards Marilyn is not aggressive or toxic; It is an expression of nostalgia, of longing for something that they do not even know how to define precisely. In this approach it allows to speak of a masculinity that opens to emotion, to error, to forgiveness. Far from traditional heroism, the protagonists discover that growing is not to conquer, but accept. And in that acceptance of failures is true maturity. The charm of this film lies in the simplicity of his story or the universality of his message. We have all had a moment before... a moment of inflection where we leave behind a version of ourselves. For Roy, Scott and Ned, that summer was the beginning of a more honest, more empathic and adult look.

This film reminds us that sometimes a sincere friendship, a naive desire and a distant city to grow. Because, as they discover, the true calendar girl was not Marilyn, but that idealized version of the future that each one carries inside, waiting to be achieved.

Why do I like this movie? Why did it move me so much? 

Well! The answer is very simple, because in my adoced I lived situations very similar to those of Roy, at some moments I felt identified with this character, especially since my relationship with my parents was not the best, it was a very conflictive relationship due to difference of ideas, So much so that when my majority of age, I left my house. Seeing that scene where Roy says goodbye to his father with a box fight, he moved so much and Marco. That until today I keep this movie in my heart, and although I already spent that stage of my life I am at peace with my parents and I enjoy your company, therefore, I feel great appreciation for this great movie.

I hope you enjoy the content of this article, as well as me by sharing a bit of me with you my readers.