I finally saw Mary Poppins Returns. I wasn’t very excited about it when I first heard of it. I was very intrigued when I learned that Lin Manuel Miranda stars in it. I think he is so fabulously talented!! But what really made me rush to the movie was the fact that the movie touches on grief.
Yes, grief has a role in this sequel to the wonderful original. When the movie opens we learn that Mrs. Banks has passed away. There are so many things about grief that this movie gets right!! And although it’s hard to see people grieving, it’s nice to see it done!!
We learn right away that the wife/ mother in the story has passed away. It is their reality! We start seeing the signs of what this grief has done to the family immediately too. Grief appears mostly in the financial issues that have arisen because of her death.
When she was sick, Micheal took our a loan against the house to help pay for medical expenses. After her death, he doesn’t keep up with the bills— She always took care of the finances. I know this happens so much. It is so painful to take on the duties of the loved one who has passed.
In my first marriage, I took care of the day to day finances and my late husband took care of our “big” financial obligations like paying property taxes, personal taxes, and insurance. When I had to take over those tasks, it was excruciating. Seeing his signature on documents almost brought me to my knees.
In the movie, Michael quickly realizes that he is about to lose his home. What he says is, “W can’t lose our home. She is everywhere here.” That line really spoke to me. I know exactly what he means. So many memories in a home you share! We designed and built our house in Texas. So many details in that house bring back memories of planning and working on that house. I’m fortunate that I didn’t have to sell it when R died. I know stories of so many women who can’t afford to keep their homes after their husband dies. The loss of the house would only multiply the grief if you aren’t ready to sell.
We see in Michael’s sister a great picture of supporting someone going through grief. She is there. She doesn’t judge, but she does gently push him into action on several occasions when she sees that he needs to act. She helps him tear the house apart looking for paperwork that can help him pay off his debt and not lose the house. We all need someone who knows when we need a nudge back into reality!!
There are many other aspects of the movie that I loved! I didn’t feel as if 54 years (according to Wikipedia) have passed from the first Mary Poppins to this one. It is a seamless transition! The colors and the animation along with real people were wonderful.
The bathtub scene looked like it could have been taken right out of the original movie.
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