Who is Kate Gulden?

Who is Katherine - Kate - Gulden? 

I'd like to talk about my favourite movie/ book character with you: Kate Gulden, from One True Thing. Her husband, George and their daughter Ellen Gulden had always thought of her as a "simple" woman. The one you couldn't share the deep thoughts and conversations with. To George, she was the light in house, the lovable woman he would tease, he had flings with other women and shared his thoughtful conversation with others, sometimes his daughter. To Ellen, they were too different. She was a simple woman, and everything she had done had always been so naturally. Until she wasn't able to do it anymore.

When Kate got ill, Ellen returned home to take care of her, mostly because her father had asked her to, and she wanted to proof that she wasn't heartless as he had said.  But as she takes care of her mother, does the housekeeping, she realizes how tiring leading her mother's life is. It isn't as naturally as she always thought. Her mother isn't as simple as she thought. She has a complex personality, and it's only now, little time before her death, that she gets to know the real Kate Gulden. Which was at the beginning a difficult, stiff and distant relation ship became a close bond. The real deep thoughts could be discussed with her mother, she might even have learned the most useful thing Ellen has learned in her whole life, something that even her father she had admired, couldn't learn her. Kate learned her to be happy with what you have, instead of yearning for what you don't.

I will always admire Kate in a way. Once my best girlfriend told me: "Sally, you talk about those film characters as if they were real people. You'd never say: "Meryl Streep in The Hours", you'd say "Clarissa Vaughan"" and she's got it right on it. 

I will admire Kate for her light, her joy, her smile, her laughters, her positive look at the world. I will admire Kate for what she has been through. I will admire Kate for the inspiring things she has said. I don't admire Meryl Streep in One True Thing, I admire Kate Gulden. 

My favourite movie: 1- One True Thing

'So... Meryl Streep, you said?' he looked over to me, slightly raising his left eyebrow.
'What's your favourite movie?'

Probably the second  question asked when your Streep obsession -everybody obviously knows about because of the quotes you post on Facebook (don't deny it)- is brought up in the conversation, after of course, the question: 'Why her?'. You start yawning, thinking, scratching your hair, letting out a groan and eventually you say: 'I love all her movies!'.
Wrong answer. You didn't love all her movies, you loved the idea that Meryl Streep was in it.
Obviously, I can't keep it to just one movie. The Iron Lady, The Bridges of Madison County, Out of Africa, Adaptation, The Hours, It's Complicated, Sophie's Choice, Kramer vs. Kramer or The Deer Hunter and many many more, I loved them all. But honestly, I do have a number one (blame me) and that would be One True Thing. A movie lots of people didn't know, compared to The Devils Wears Prada or Out of Africa which everyone knows. 'Huh? One True Thing? Are you sure that's Meryl Streep because I've seen all of her movies!' is what many people answer.                
Wrong answer as well.

Why One True Thing? Okay, the general opinion from Streepers who've seen it: 'Never! I'm devastated! I can't see Meryl die! No! I cried during three weeks every time something made me even think of One True Thing!'. I've been through that as well, believe me. Yet, that  movie, the beautiful script, the absolutely incredibly acting of Renee Zellweger, William Hurt, Tom Everett Scott, the whole cast, Franklin's directing, Bette Midler's One True Friend being such a beautiful soundtrack,  make this movie perfect to me.  I'm not mentioning Meryl's flawless acting. Oops. Maybe I did.

I think it's just beautiful and emotional to see the long way mother and daughter - Kate and Ellen Gulden- make to come closer to each other. And during that walk, Ellen realizes that her mother is not just a silly housewife, she's so, so, so much more. I don't want to bring up the Oscar-issue, it's not really important, yet I just have to say that, objectively: Meryl deserved an Academy Award for this interpretation.

So, I had been through quite a One True Thing obsession, during which I bought the novel, by Anna Quindlen, which, on the other hand, led me to an Anna Quindlen obsession. Her writing is beautiful. So vivid, so poetic, beautiful descriptions and comparisions, incredible stories, very emotional.

Finally, to end this post, I have a question for you: why did George Gulden (the father) cheat on his one true thing, his wife, the woman he truly loved? Why did he? What do you think?
--> By the way, about commenting, I know you can't comment without an account, so if you have one: don't hold yourself and comment ;) if you don't, maybe you have a Livejournal account or so, or you can always let me know something on my twitter account: @Mrs_Blixen

"Thank you for the world so sweet.Thank you for the food we eat.

Thank you for the birds that sing.Thank you, God, for everything." 

I found the gifs on Tumblr.

These are not mine, thank you to

the person making them.