Her Journal

Author(s): D.W. (NV)
Her Journal

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Written by Robin Swicord
Inspired by the novel "Ella Price's Journal" by Dorothy Bryant
Music by Mark Isham
Produced by Steven Spielberg and Lucy Fisher

Main Cast:

Jacqueline McKenzie as Felice Chandler
Mark Ruffalo as Judd Chandler
Scout Taylor-Compton as Melanie Chandler
Kiefer Sutherland as Professor Barry Harkin
Kathleen Quinlan as Debbie Plain

Tagline: "The words came and made her free."

Synopsis: 1967, San Francisco, California. The streets of Haight-Ashbury are roarin' with hippies, protestors, stoners and artists galore. The Vietnam War reaches it's pinnacle, the world is changing and people are engaging. It is the 'Summer of Love'. For 35 yr old Felice Chandler (Jacqueline McKenzie), devoted house-wife and mother, it is the 'Summer of Change'.

Struggling novelist of a husband, Judd (Mark Ruffalo) called it a phase, but for Felice, taking a creative writing course at the local bay area community college was a chance at finding a missing piece in her life. Out of touch and out of time, but ultimately tired of watching the world turn without her, she took her studies seriously. Her first assignment; Begin a journal.

Her journal would give us insight into a woman that would test herself with tough decisions, and break down the gender barriers. Her journal would lead to the steamy attraction, yet unsatisfying affair with her sexually inept English professor, Barry Harkin (Kiefer Sutherland) that leads to a forbidden abortion. Her journal takes her to the violent protests against the war where she meets her new best friend, the bi-curious journalist, Debbie Plain (Kathleen Quinlan), who is anxious to publish her journal to promote women's lib. Her journal is an object of jealousy for her husband when he finds out her affair and plans to publish, after his hokey western novels are continually passed over. Her journal hugely influences her once innocent daughter, Melanie (Scout Taylor-Compton) who joins the burning-bra/free-love/pro-drug movement that leads to a disturbing end when she is sexually corrupted by someone close.

Thanksgiving 1967

Dearest Journal,
The turkey is stuffed, the sweet potatoes are baked, and the pumpkin pie...well, the pie is bought. Melanie promised she would be here, I hope she comes. Judd said he would let her come, but it's her decision. This holiday has not come easy. It was only two weeks ago when I found her in my bed crying while my "best friend" lay naked and dead from a drug overdose. This journal has been both my savior and my nemesis, yet remains the only friend I have left. But I have to let go and build a heaven on the ground or maybe...hold that thought...there's a knock at the door.

What the Press Would Say:

Roger Ebert once said of director, Kathryn Bigelow, "...she is interested in the ways her characters live dangerously for philosophical reasons.". Her talent is unquestioned and admired by her peers, and "Her Journal" is her stamp of approval and masterpiece. Known for her critically acclaimed action-thriller Point Break, Bigelow sets out to showcase her versatility and sensibility.

"Her Journal", a story inspired by Dorothy Bryant's acclaimed novel, "Ella Price's Journal" that centers around a stereotypical housewife (Jacqueline McKenzie) of the 60's living in a 50's household, watching the world change without her, prompting her to take up a class at the local community college where her assignments center around writing a journal. The journal is the outlet she needs that allows for her emotions and feelings to pour out. And they flow like a river. She enters the peace/protest movement, experiments with drugs, sex, and everything the district of Haight-Ashbury could offer at that time. What wasn't expected were the effects it would have on her family dynamic. When the three closest people in her life uncover her journal, their worlds are rocked. Husband Judd (Mark Ruffalo) succumbs to his jealousy when he can't fathom how his wife can write about her short-comings and promiscuity, while he can't find a publisher who'll give his western novels the time of day. Felice's teenage daughter (Scout Taylor-Compton) falls into the hippy crowd, and ultimately out of her element. The antagonists, teacher Barry Harkin (Kiefer Sutherland) who sexually seduces her into a love affair and abandons her with news of her pregnancy, and best friend Debbie Plain (Kathleen Quinlan) draws Felice into a life she wasn't ready for. Perfectly cast Quinlan and Sutherland play down their characters who are real, relatable and often times eccentric. Sutherland’s performance is thickly layered in the affair scene where he under performs; his reaction is shameful but his actions play as a metaphor for the times when he blames his lackluster performance on the woman. Quinlan as best friend Debbie, a character inspired by Glenn Close’s feminist crusader Jenny Fields in The World According to Garp plays as her evil twin sister. A pair of memorable performances that should not go unrecognized come Oscar season.

Writer, Robin Swicord (Little Women) carefully pinpoints each cause and effect action her lead character makes, and leaves no question unanswered. It is a straight-forward, uncompromising look at a woman fighting for her own independence. She accentuates her flaws, but is sure to celebrate Felice's inspiring moments. It's not everyday a woman's role like this comes. Australian-born actress Jacqueline McKenzie is best known for playing the precocious girlfriend in Russell Crowe’s break-out film, “Romper Stomper”. McKenzie, who famously beat out many actresses for the role, makes her mark here as the rebel housewife, displaying fear, nervousness and anxiousness through more expression than dialogue. Her narration is a brilliant tool Bigelow uses for McKenzie to experiment with a more silent-acting approach. In the beginning her journal entries are narrated, where as time moves on, she becomes more independent and outspoken, with no narration, only until the final bittersweet scene.

In the end, Felice will go through emotions she never wanted, decisions she'd never thought she'd make...to live a life of complete freedom, but at what cost? Her memoirs would take her from liberation to tragedy but end with a sense of hope for not just her but for her wayward daughter. "Her Journal" is a film not to be forgotten with some of the most memorable scenes ever put to film. Watch it for Bigelow's canvas like settings and tricky direction. Watch it for Swicord's original spin on an acclaimed novel. Watch it for the unforgettable chemistry Jacqueline McKenzie has with the likes of Ruffalo, Sutherland and Quinlan. Watch it for Mark Isham's tantalizing score. "Her Journal" is a film that is written in the wind, caught in mid-air, framed and placed in a museum.

Best Picture
Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow
Best Actress - Jacqueline McKenzie
Best Supporting Actor - Mark Ruffalo
Best Supporting Actor - Kiefer Sutherland
Best Supporting Actress - Kathleen Quinlan
Best Adapted Screenplay - Robin Swicord