My Love: Six Stories of True Love (2021)

"Your love has sustained me"

Long lasting love was explored in Netflix’s My Love: Six Stories of True Love. Couples from six different countries who had cohabitated from 40-60 years were shown going through their mundane days and facing challenges that arose in their lives. The couples were a mixed bag with something for everyone.

1-USA. Ginger and David
“First time I saw her, I loved her.”

The focus of Ginger and David’s segment seemed to be on the financial aspects and paperwork for dealing with aging and dying. The large family gatherings and business on the farm were also highlighted. This segment wasn’t my favorite and some aspects felt staged.

2-Spain. Nati and Augusto
“You have to be strong at this age---like a warrior.”

I loved this couple, they were by far my favorite. They teased and goodheartedly bickered as they showed the importance of humor and companionship in a successful relationship.

3-Japan. Kinuko and Haruhei
“Alone it would be hard for you but together we can manage if we try.”

This couple faced a lifetime of discrimination because Haruhei had developed Hansen’s disease/Leprosy as child. For 15 years he’d been institutionalized even after he was cured. They showed how perseverance and hope sustained them as they faced negative attitudes, fought for justice, and dealt with a terminal illness.

4-Korea. Saeng Ja and Yeong Sam
“I still feel young at heart. But my body can’t keep up.”

Saeng Ja suffered debilitating back pain from decades of hard work and abalone farming. Yeong Sam scolded her whenever she did too much. Their surviving son didn’t want to take over the business and the two were left wondering if they had enough money to survive without the farm and boating business. The loss of a child, regrets, and physical ailments took a toll.

5-Brazil. Nicinha and Jurema
“Dreams are built, little by little.”

The two women had been together for 43 years and lived most of it with their children and grandchildren in a dilapidated house on the crowded hill of Rocinha with a view of the ocean. Three hours away in a quiet village they had bought a small plot of land where they were building a house little by little for retirement. Regardless of their poverty and age they had a determination to fulfill their dreams. An interesting couple that unlike the others were open about infidelity.

6-India. Satyabhama and Satva
“We are getting older but the work doesn’t cease.”

Satyabhama and Satva lost their millet and cotton crops during an unexpected deluge. Their grown children were forced to leave to work in the factories along with everyone else their age. Only the old and the very young remained. The couple were too old to handle the fields themselves leaving them in a precarious position. This segment focused on the “ceaseless cycle of migration.” This segment felt overproduced and the names of the couple weren’t authentic so I was left wondering how much of it was real.

Each story had a different director which showed in how the episodes were developed. At over an hour, some of the episodes were too long with not enough compelling material to fill them. Others went by quickly. The first and last episodes were the weakest for me as they both felt overly staged. Many of the couples faced a lack of financial resources as bodies aged and were unable to work like in their youth, illnesses, and their own mortality. Regardless of their circumstances all but one of the couples were still close and supportive of each other even after decades of dealing with life's challenges which was encouraging.

18 August 2024

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