You know whats my scary movie of all times? You know, the one which you think about days and mostly nights after seeing it and it sub consciously leaves an indelible impact on your psyche? Its not The Ring, not even Jaws and definetly not The Exorcist. Its a little known documentary (which was later interpreted as a HBO movie) called Grey Gardens. Its about the lives of Edith Bouvier Beale and her mother Edith Ewing Bouvier.The women were the aunt and the first cousins of the famous Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and lived in a wealthy neighbourhood of New York. The movie traces the lives of these two women. Seems idyllic enough right? Maybe fun. But you couldnt have been more wrong. The mother daughter duo suffered a series of setbacks through the earlier 20th century as a result of which they turned complete recluses and lived a life of complete isolation for decades together. The beautiful house where they lived was in shambles and the women were deprived of running water and food. It was a spectacular fall. And one which haunts me till today.
I was reminded about the movie and the fate of the two women when I encountered something uncannily familiar in real life. Two sisters, Anuradha Behl and Sonali Behl were recently discovered in their Noida flat starving to death, alone and away from the world. The sisters were discovered starving and dehydrated with the elder one, Anuradha being in a near comatose state upon being discovered. According to the story that emerged later, the sisters went into depression following the death of their father. The depression and the ensuing loneliness was further aggravated when their younger brother left them. The last straw was the death of their pet, after which they refused to talk to anyone and completely shut down any contact whatsoever with the real world. The elder sister died of cardiac arrest just a few days ago while the younger one is said to be in a critical situation.
The pictures and the videos that emerged out of the incident were freakishly and uncannily familiar to the scenes from Grey Gardens. They were photos and other recollections that showed both the pair of women as happy, vibrant young women, looking forward to all that life offers. What happened to the hope in the eyes and the promise in the smiles? How did life change so radically for them that they shunned the very world which they had yearned to explore?
I dont know. Maybe it was the loneliness. Maybe it was the realisation that inspite of everything, no one would care for them. Perhaps somewhere down the line the mind did not want any contact and was satisfied with its own thoughts and feelings. I dont know. But what i know is this, the mind is a powerful thing. Even more powerful than we give it credit for. It can save you and it can also destroy you. and if you are not careful, it might even play tricks on you. And i dont mean it in a good way.
PS: Grey Gardens was one movie that left a huge impact on me. I thought about it for days and nights on end. It gave me nightmares and haunted me like never before. The realisation that the line between sanity and insanity was a very thin one and it could be crossed easily scared me. The fact that the two women were considered the cream of American society and their slow and horrifying decline, made me realise that no one is immune. It was the most frightening turn the human psyche could take. And also the most haunting.
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| The original documentary |
I was reminded about the movie and the fate of the two women when I encountered something uncannily familiar in real life. Two sisters, Anuradha Behl and Sonali Behl were recently discovered in their Noida flat starving to death, alone and away from the world. The sisters were discovered starving and dehydrated with the elder one, Anuradha being in a near comatose state upon being discovered. According to the story that emerged later, the sisters went into depression following the death of their father. The depression and the ensuing loneliness was further aggravated when their younger brother left them. The last straw was the death of their pet, after which they refused to talk to anyone and completely shut down any contact whatsoever with the real world. The elder sister died of cardiac arrest just a few days ago while the younger one is said to be in a critical situation.
 |
| The Noida sisters after their rescue |
The pictures and the videos that emerged out of the incident were freakishly and uncannily familiar to the scenes from Grey Gardens. They were photos and other recollections that showed both the pair of women as happy, vibrant young women, looking forward to all that life offers. What happened to the hope in the eyes and the promise in the smiles? How did life change so radically for them that they shunned the very world which they had yearned to explore?
I dont know. Maybe it was the loneliness. Maybe it was the realisation that inspite of everything, no one would care for them. Perhaps somewhere down the line the mind did not want any contact and was satisfied with its own thoughts and feelings. I dont know. But what i know is this, the mind is a powerful thing. Even more powerful than we give it credit for. It can save you and it can also destroy you. and if you are not careful, it might even play tricks on you. And i dont mean it in a good way.
PS: Grey Gardens was one movie that left a huge impact on me. I thought about it for days and nights on end. It gave me nightmares and haunted me like never before. The realisation that the line between sanity and insanity was a very thin one and it could be crossed easily scared me. The fact that the two women were considered the cream of American society and their slow and horrifying decline, made me realise that no one is immune. It was the most frightening turn the human psyche could take. And also the most haunting.
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