100 Kick-Ass Female Characters: #72
72. Adele August, as seen in the novel Anywhere But Here by Mona Simpson and the film Anywhere But Here, portrayed by Susan Sarandon
As an angsty teenager, I spent a great deal of time reading books and watching movies which appealed to my sense of angst. And, given that I had (and continue to have) a massive crush on Natalie Portman, I saw this movie approximately 10,000 times before I read the book. And, while Natalie Portman is still lovely and I still recommend the book to everyone, I have an entirely new appreciation for Adele.
At the beginning of the novel and film, Adele is a speech pathologist raising her daughter Ann in Bay City, Michigan. Ann's father abandoned them when she was small, and the man Adele remarried - she claims - is a homosexual. As Ann is starting high school, Adele gets in her head that she is finally going to start living the life she has always wanted. She sells their practical car to buy a gold Mercedes, packs up their lives, and moves them to Beverly Hills so Ann, who has no interest in doing so, can be an actress whom Adele dubs "Heather." Adele quickly learns that the image she had of Beverly Hills and California are not the reality; it is expensive, Ann's "acting career" never happens, and, the longer they remain in California, the more Ann tries to pull away. Adele throws herself into inappropriate romantic relationships and is devastated when they don't work out; when she is confronted by the true opulence and wealth of Beverly Hills, she retreats into a stage of avoidance. There are hints that Adele suffers from depression/mania, often swinging between dramatic emotions, and she even starts a massive fight at her nephew's wake. Often, due to her not paying the bills, she and Ann have to move in the middle of the night, and, when Adele discovers Ann has been accepted to Brown University in Rhode Island, she forbids her from going. It is only after Ann emotionally pleads for Adele to let her go that Adele finally sells the gold Mercedes, using the money from the car to send Ann to school, sacrificing their single status symbol for the future Ann actually wants.
What makes Adele such a great character is she is certainly not a perfect person. She's selfish and impulsive and does not care what others want; she jerks her daughter around as if she is more of a doll and playmate than actual person. But, in her own way, Adele's actions truly are done with the best of intentions. She does not want Ann to fall into the trap she fell into in Bay City: saddled with a child to a man who leaves her, working a job she hates, living under the claustrophobic press of her family and reputation. And, when she realizes she is stopping Ann from what she truly wants, Adele sacrifices perhaps for the first time to make it happen. Adele is certainly not a perfect mother, but she redeems herself in the end. When the cards are truly down, Adele gives up what she wants and what makes her feel safe so Ann can have a happy life.
And that's pretty kick-ass.
As an angsty teenager, I spent a great deal of time reading books and watching movies which appealed to my sense of angst. And, given that I had (and continue to have) a massive crush on Natalie Portman, I saw this movie approximately 10,000 times before I read the book. And, while Natalie Portman is still lovely and I still recommend the book to everyone, I have an entirely new appreciation for Adele.
At the beginning of the novel and film, Adele is a speech pathologist raising her daughter Ann in Bay City, Michigan. Ann's father abandoned them when she was small, and the man Adele remarried - she claims - is a homosexual. As Ann is starting high school, Adele gets in her head that she is finally going to start living the life she has always wanted. She sells their practical car to buy a gold Mercedes, packs up their lives, and moves them to Beverly Hills so Ann, who has no interest in doing so, can be an actress whom Adele dubs "Heather." Adele quickly learns that the image she had of Beverly Hills and California are not the reality; it is expensive, Ann's "acting career" never happens, and, the longer they remain in California, the more Ann tries to pull away. Adele throws herself into inappropriate romantic relationships and is devastated when they don't work out; when she is confronted by the true opulence and wealth of Beverly Hills, she retreats into a stage of avoidance. There are hints that Adele suffers from depression/mania, often swinging between dramatic emotions, and she even starts a massive fight at her nephew's wake. Often, due to her not paying the bills, she and Ann have to move in the middle of the night, and, when Adele discovers Ann has been accepted to Brown University in Rhode Island, she forbids her from going. It is only after Ann emotionally pleads for Adele to let her go that Adele finally sells the gold Mercedes, using the money from the car to send Ann to school, sacrificing their single status symbol for the future Ann actually wants.
What makes Adele such a great character is she is certainly not a perfect person. She's selfish and impulsive and does not care what others want; she jerks her daughter around as if she is more of a doll and playmate than actual person. But, in her own way, Adele's actions truly are done with the best of intentions. She does not want Ann to fall into the trap she fell into in Bay City: saddled with a child to a man who leaves her, working a job she hates, living under the claustrophobic press of her family and reputation. And, when she realizes she is stopping Ann from what she truly wants, Adele sacrifices perhaps for the first time to make it happen. Adele is certainly not a perfect mother, but she redeems herself in the end. When the cards are truly down, Adele gives up what she wants and what makes her feel safe so Ann can have a happy life.
And that's pretty kick-ass.