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Last week, I reviewed Living, a 2022 film starring Bill Nighy. Tina shared a recipe for roasted tomatoes inspired by Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries.
We weren't sure whether we'd like this film due to the subject matter. I'm leery of films that glorify war. But it turned out to be only a little about the military and a lot about how women come together to support each other in ways that are sometimes more successful than others.
There's a system in place for mutual aid among military wives during deployment, however, and we get to watch that rev up.
I was somewhat familiar with that system because I had a relative who worked at Grissom Air Force Base during Operation Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991. They talked about how the military wives came together and, also, how the wider community supported them.
Kristin Scott Thomas ( My Grandparents' War, Darkest Hour) was the reason that I put this movie in our DVD queue at Netflix. Much of the entertainment in this movie is watching Thomas's stuffy character, Kate, spar with the easier-going Lisa, played by Sharon Hogan.
The best moments, for me, though, were the more tender ones where the women were effective in their support for one another, even in the most horrible circumstances faced by military wives.
Watch Military Wives to laugh and cry and appreciate the value of relationships in good times and bad.
About Joy Weese Moll
a librarian writing about books
